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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


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815.3rd  AVE. 
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®- 


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DOUBLE  WITNESS  OF  THE  CHURCH: 


BT    TH3 

REV.   WM.  INGE-AHAM  KIP,  M.  A. 

AUTHOH.  or  "  THE  LENTSN  FAST 


•^at 


tw3U<^ 


/$r^'^ 


4^ 
r.4 


It  may  be  as  well,  then,  old  and  trite  as  the  subject  is,  to  say  a 
few  words  on  some  of  those  features  of  our  Church,  which  bear  at 
once  A  DOUBLE  vriTyEss  against  Rome  on  the  one  hand,  or  mere 
Protestant  congregations  on  the  other. 

Ren.  F.  W.  Faber. 


NEW-YORK  : 
D.  APPLETON    &  CO.,  200  BROADWAY. 

PHILADELPHIA : 
GEO.  S.  APPLETOxN,  148  CHESNUT-ST. 

MDCCCXLIII. 


®- 


-® 


® ■ (S 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1843,  by 

WM-  IKGHAHAM  KIP, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  tiie  Southern  District  of 

New-York. 


® ' ■     -•-      • —^ ® 


® 


K  U  c^ 


® 


TO 

THE  CONGREGATION  OF  ST.  PAUL'S  CHURCH, 

IN      THE      CITT     OP     ALBANT, 

E^tst  arcturcs, 

OBiaiNALlT     WBITTEN     FOB      THEIB     I  N  S  T  B  TJ  C  T  I  O  ST  , 

AND    NOW    PUBLISHED    AT    THEIR    REQUEST. 

ARE    INSCRIBED, 

BY    THEIR    AFFECTIONATE    RECTOR, 

THE  AUTHOR. 


® 


® 


®___ — ® 


One  only  way  to  life ; 
One  Faith,  delivered  once  for  all ; 
One  holy  Band,  endow'd  with  Heaven's  high  call ; 

One  earnest,  endless  strife  ; — 
This  is  the  Church  tli'  Eternal  fiam'd  of  old. 

Smooth  open  ways,  good  store  ; 
A  creed  for  every  clime  and  age. 
By  Mammon's  touch  new  moulded  o'er  and  o'er : 

No  Cross,  no  war  to  wage  ; 
This  is  the  Church  our  earth-dimmed  eyes  behold. 

But  ways  must  have  an  end. 
Creeds  undergo  the  trial-flame, 
Nor  with  th'  impure  the  saints  forever  blend, 

Heaven's  glory  with  our  shame  : — 
Think  on  that  home,  and  choose  'twixt  soft  and  bold. 

Lyra  Jlpostolica. 


^ ® 


-® 


PREFACE. 


The  circumstances  under  which  this  Volume 
was  written,  are  briefly  these.  The  last  winter,  it 
is  well  known,  was  a  season  of  strange  excitement 
among  the  different  denominations  throughout  our 
land.  At  such  a  time — as  the  best  safeguard 
against  this  injurious  influence — the  writer  thought  it 
well,  to  deliver  to  the  people  of  his  charge,  a  course  of 
Lectures,  plainly  setting  forth  the  distinctive  princi- 
ples of  the  Church.  They  were  continued  through 
ten  successive  Sunday  evenings  ;  and  he  had  reason 
to  believe  that  the  effect  produced  was  beneficial. 

The  Lectures  were  originally  prepared  without 

the   most   distant   idea  of   publication.       Having, 

however,  been  requested  by  the  Vestry,  as  well  as 

by  others  in  whose  judgment  he  is  accustomed  to 

rely,  to  furnish  the  series  for  the  Press,  the  writer 

did  not  feel  himself  at  liberty  to  decline.     He  has, 

therefore,  availed  himself  of  what  hours  of  leisure 
2* 


® 


® 


-^ 


he  could  find  amidst  the  engrossing  cares  of  Parish 
duty,  to  expand  some  parts  of  the  course,  and  to 
add  the  necessary  references.  The  result  of  his 
attempt  is  seen  in  this  volume. 

He  believes  that  this  work  will  be  found  to 
differ  somewhat  in  its  plan,  from  most  of  those  on 
the  claims  of  our  Church,  which  are  intended  for 
popular  reading.  They  are  generally  written  with 
reference  merely  to  the  Protestant  denominations 
around  us.  The  public  mind,  however,  has  lately 
taken  a  new  direction,  and  the  doctrines  of  the 
Church  of  Rome  have  again  become  a  subject  of 
discussion.  The  writer  has  therefore  endeavored 
to  draw  the  line  between  these  tAvo  extremes — 
showing  that  the  Church  bears  her  double  wit- 
ness against  them  both — and  points  out  a  middle 
path  as  the  one  of  truth  and  safety.  And  the  prin- 
ciple by  which  he  has  been  guided  in  all  cases,  is 
that  laid  down  by  Tertullian,  "  Whatever  is  first, 
is  ime ;  whatever  is  more  recent,  is  spurious."* 

To  account  for  the  tone  in  which  some  parts 

*  "  Perseque  adversus  universns  hcereses  jam  hinc  prieju- 
dicatum  sit;  id  esse  veruni,  quodcurique  primuni  ;  id  esse 
adulterum,  quodcunqiie  posterius." — Tertull.  adv.Prax.,  §  ii. 
Opei-.  p.  405. 

® — ® 


® ® 

PREFACE,  7 

are  written — for  instance,  the  close  of  the  Lecture 
on  "  The  moral  training  of  the  Church" — he  must 
ask  the  reader  to  bear  in  mind,  the  high  state  of 
religious  excitement  which  was  at  that  time  pre- 
vailing on  every  side,  and  the  strange  excesses  to 
which  it  naturally  gave  birth.  These  passages 
have  been  suffered  to  remain,  because  another  win- 
ter may  again  produce  the  same  delusions  in  the 
denominations  around  us.  On  the  solemn  subject 
of  his  religious  interests,  man  seems  determined 
not  to  profit  by  the  experience  of  the  past,  but 
year  after  year  courts  the  fever,  forgetful  of  the 
chill  by  which  it  is  invariably  followed. 

The  prevalence  in  this  country  of  a  peculiar 
form  of  error,  also  occasioned  the  delivery  of  a 
separate  Lecture  devoted  to  an  exposition  of  "  the 
Church's  view  of  Baptism."  In  the  fourth  cen- 
tury, Pelagius,  after  travelling  over  the  greater  part 
of  Christendom.,  could  record  as  the  result  of  his 
observations,  that  "  he  had  never  heard  even  any 
impious  heretic,  who  asserted,  that  infants  are  not 
to  be  baptized."  Such,  however,  is  unfortunately 
not  the  case  in  our  day.  A  numerous  body  of 
those   "  who    profess   and   call   themselves    Chris- 


® 0 

8  PKEFACE. 

tians,"  have  fallen  into  this  heresy,  and  it  has 
become  necessary  to  show  plainly,  how  untenable 
are  their  doctrines  when  tested  by  Scripture  and 
the  voice  of  Catholic  antiquity. 

The  writer  cannot  expect,  in  bringing  forward 
so  many  disputed  points,  but  that  his  readers  will 
take  exception  to  some  of  his  statements.  He 
trusts,  however,  that  the  views  advanced  will 
be  found  to  be  in  accordance  with  the  teaching  of 
the  great  body  of  divines  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land. In  the  old  path  which  they  marked  out,  we 
should  all  endeavor  to  walk — and  the  caution  at 
this  time  is  particularly  necessary.  The  revival  of 
an  attention  to  Church  principles  which  has  lately 
taken  place,  will  in  some  cases  drive  the  unstable 
and  the  imaginative  to  an  extreme  bordering  on 
Romanism.  This  danger,  therefore,  we  must 
shun ;  seeking  with  care  the  well  defined  line 
which  separates  Catholic  truths  from  Roman  falla- 
cies. And  if  these  Lectures  shall  aid  any  inquirer 
in  forming  his  opinions,  and  avoiding  the  errors  by 
which  we  are  surrounded,  the  writer  will  feel  that 
his  labor  has  not  been  in  vain. 

Festival  of  St.  James.,  ridcccxliii. 
® ® 


® 


■® 


LAUS    DEO. 

CONTENTS. 

Page 
I. 

Introductory.    Necessity  for  knowing  tlie  reasons  why  we  are  Cliurch- 

nien .        15 

II. 

Episcopacy  proTcd  from  Scripture 51 

Id. 

Episcopacy  proved  iVom  History 97 

IV. 

Antiquity  of  forms  of  Prayer 145 

V. 

History  of  our  Liturgy 181 

VI. 

Tlie  Cluircli'3  View  of  Baptism  233 

VII. 

The  moral  training  of  the  Church 275 

VIII. 
Popular  objections  against  the  Church 307 

IX. 

The  Church  in  all  ages  the  Keeper  of  the  Truth  ....      353 

X. 

Conclusion.     The  Catholic  Cliurcliman 383 


®- 


® 


® — ® 


Man  is  a  creature  of  extremes.  The  middle  path  is  generally  the  wise 
path  ;  but  there  are  few  wise  enough  to  find  it.  Because  Papists  have  made 
too  much  of  some  things,  Piotestants  have  made  too  little  of  them.  The 
Papists  treat  man  as  all  sense  ;  and,  therefore,  some  Protestants  would  treat 
him  as  all  spirit.  Because  one  party  has  exalted  the  Viigin  Mary  to  a  Di- 
vinity, the  other  can  scarcely  think  of  that  "most  highly  favored  among 
women"  with  common  respect.  The  Papist  puts  the  Apocrypha  into  his 
Canon  ;  the  Protestant  will  scarcely  regard  it  as  an  ancient  record.  The 
Popish  Heresy,  human  merit  in  Justification,  drove  Luther  on  the  other 
side  into  the  most  unwarrantable  and  unscriptural  statements  of  that  doc- 
trine. The  Papists  consider  Grace  as  inseparable  from  the  participation  of 
the  Sacraments — the  Protestants  too  often  lose  sight  of  them  as  instituted 
means  of  conveying  Grace. 

Cecil's  Remains. 


-® 


® @ 


NECESSITY    FOR    KXOWING  THE  REASONS  WHY   WE   ARE 
CHURCHMEN. 


Mother  !  I  am  sometimes  told, 

By  the  wanderers  in  the  dark, 
Fleeing  from  thine  ancient  fold, 

I  must  seek  some  newer  ark. 

****** 
Rather  those  who  turn  away 

Let  me  seek  with  love  to  win, 
Till  Christ's  scatter'd  sheep  astray 

To  thy  fold  are  gathered  in. 

Rev.  B.  D.  Winslow,  '  To  the  Chvrcfu'' 


®- 


-® 


®- 


•® 


:!^&^,i 


NECESSITY   FOR  KNOWING   THE    REASONS  WHY  WE 
ARE  CHURCHMEN. 


In  all  the  varied  history  of  the  Church,  the  most 
beautiful  picture  is  that  which  is  presented  by  the 
unity  of  her  early  days.  The  watchwords  of  a  party 
were  then  unheard  over  the  earth.  No  discordant 
tones  arose,  to  break  the  delightful  harmony  which 
prevailed.  No  warring  sects  distracted  the  attention 
of  the  inquirer  after  the  Truth,  or  pointed  to  an  hun- 
dred different  paths  in  which  he  was  invited  to  walk. 
With  one  voice  all  declared  themselves  heirs  of  the 
same  hopes,  and  alike  numbered  with  the  faithful. 
"  By  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  all  Christians 
were  so  joined  together,  in  unity  of  spirit,  and  in  the 
bond  of  peace,  that,  with  one  heart,  they  desired  the 
prosperity  of  the  Holy  Apostolic  Church,  and,  with 
one  mouth,  professed  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the 
saints."^ 

a   From  a  prayer  in  the  office  of  Institution. 


®- 


-® 


(5) ® 

16  NECESSITY    FOR    KNOWING    THE 

The  Church  then  stood  before  our  race,  the  sole 
messenger  of  glad  tidings  to  the  world — the  only  city 
of  refuge,  beyond  whose  shelter  there  was  no  salvation 
for  mankind.  On  widely  distant  shores,  and  in  many 
a  strange  tongue,  the  voice  of  prayer  was  uplifted,  yet 
always  its  spirit  was  the  same.  "  From  the  rising  of 
the  sun  even  unto  the  going  down  of  the  same," — 
everywhere  over  the  wide  earth — there  was  "  one 
Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism."  All  "  continued 
steadfastly  in  the  Apostles'  doctrine  and  fellowship, 
and  in  breaking  of  bread,  and  in  prayers."  There  was, 
therefore,  nothing  else  to  which  the  penitent  could 
turn,  but  the  one  Catholic,  Apostolic  Church. 

Centuries  have  gone  by  since  these  bright  days  of 
the  Church  passed  away ;  yet,  still  the  hope  of  their 
return  sustains  her  children  amid  the  toils  and  self- 
denial  of  the  way.  For  this  their  souls  are  waiting 
"more  than  they  that  watch  for  the  morning."  For 
this  they  labor.  For  this  they  strive  to  make  her 
principles  known  in  the  world — to  reclaim  the  wan- 
derers from  her  fold — and  to  convince  them,  that  there 
indeed  they  will  find  rest  for  their  souls.  And  it  is  in 
the  attempt  to  do  my  humble  share  in  this  work,  and 
to  mingle  my  exertions  also  with  that  tide  of  influence 
which  is  put  forth  on  every  side  of  us,  that  I  have  met 
you  this  evening,  to  commence  a  course  of  lectures 
on  the  distinctive  principles  of  the  Church.  The 
field  which  opens  before  us  is  a  wide  one,  but  the  re- 
marks which  I  shall  offer,  on  the  present  occasion, 
will  be  merely  introductory. 

®— ® 


® ® 

REASONS    AV'HV    WE    ARE    CHURCHMEN.  17 

You  will  naturally  ask  the  question — why  I  have 
chosen  this  way  to  advance  the  interests  of  our  faith, 
and  aid  the  final  coming  of  the  reign  of  peace? 
Why — with  so  many  topics  opening  before  us  on  the 
pages  of  God's  word,  which  ultimately  concern  man's 
eternal  safety — I  pass  them  by,  to  dwell  upon  forms 
of  Church  government?  Why — when  the  apostate 
and  the  lost  are  perishing  on  the  right  hand  and  on 
the  left — instead  of  sounding  forth  to  them  the  solemn 
warning,  to  turn  unto  the  Lord  and  live — instead  of 
preaching  that  great  Atonement  which  must  be  their 
only  hope — I  take  up  subjects,  which  to  many  would 
appear  only  of  secondary  interest  ? 

In  answer  to  these  inquiries  I  can  only  say,  that  I 
am  fully  aware  of  the  unspeakable  importance  of 
these  themes.  You,  too,  I  trust,  can  bear  me  witness, 
that  when  I  have  stood  before  you,  week  after  week, 
for  nearly  six  years,  in  the  ministrations  of  this  sanc- 
tuary, it  has  ever  been  my  object  to  lead  you  through 
the  sorrows  of  a  broken  and  contrite  heart,  to  that 
peace  and  joy  which  are  to  be  found  only  at  the  Cross 
of  our  Lord.  It  has  been  my  earnest  prayer,  that 
never  might  I  lose  sight  of  that  maxim  of  the  Apostle 
which  regulated  his  preaching,  and  which  he  declared 
so  explicitly  in  the  words :  "  For  I  determined  not  to 
know  any  thing  among  you,  save  Jesus  Christ,  and 
Him  crucified."  But  every  truth  which  God  has 
revealed  must  be  important,  and  should  hold  its  pro- 
per place  in  the  instructions  of  the  pulpit.  Under 
the  Jewish  law,  no  commands  which  He  had  given 

® (5) 


® ® 

18  NECESSITY    FOR    KNOWING    THE 

were  thought  too  inconsiderable  to  receive  their  strict 
attention.  Even  the  "  paying  tithes  of  mint,  anise, 
and  cummin,"  our  Saviour  declared  they  "ought not 
to  leave  undone."  Who,  then,  can  say,  that  the 
question,  What  form  of  government  did  our  Lord 
prescribe  for  His  Church  ?  is  one  which  does  not  de- 
serve our  earnest  investigation  1  There  is  indeed 
"  a  time  to  speak,"  as  well  as  "  a  time  to  be  silent" 
— a  time  to  warn  the  sinner  that  he  flee  from  the 
wrath  to  come,  or  to  call  the  Christian  to  press  on- 
ward in  his  course — and  a  time  to  proclaim  to  those 
around  us,  the  rules  of  outward  order  which  charac- 
terize our  Church.  There  must  indeed  be  a  symme- 
try i^  our  teaching.  "  He,"  says  Bishop  Mcllvane, 
"  is  a  poor  husbandman,  who  spends  so  much  time 
upon  the  tilling  of  the  ground,  that  his  enclosures  are 
forgotten  ;  or  who  thinks  that  because  the  fence  is 
not  the  grain,  therefore  it  may  take  care  of  itself 
So  would  that  be  a  very  defective  ministry,  and  would 
prove  at  last,  should  it  be  generally  prevalent,  a  ruin- 
ous ministry  to  all  abiding  fruits  of  righteousness, 
which,  for  the  sake  of  more  attention  to  inward  and 
spiritual  religion,  should  despise  or  neglect  the  care- 
ful maintenance,  in  their  right  claim  of  reverence 
and  obedience,  of  those  outward  things  of  Church 
ordinance  and  order,  which  are  just  as  necessary 
to  the  abiding  of  spiritual  religion  in  the  world, 
as  the  human  body  is  to  the  abiding  of  the 
human  soul."  Neither,  indeed,  are  these  single 
and  isolated   facts,    standing  by  themselves.     They 

® ® 


® ■ ® 

REASONS    WHY    WE    ARE    CHURCHMEN.  19 

have  their  influence  on  the  whole  circle  of  our 
religious  duties.  And  since  all  truths  are  linked 
together,  the  reception  of  any  one  may  be  the 
means  of  pouring  light  into  the  mind,  and  inducing 
us  to  go  on  step  by  step,  until  "  the  Truth  shall 
make  us  free."  While,  therefore,  "  the  time  is  short " 
in  which  our  warfare  is  to  be  waged,  it  is  surely  well 
for  us  at  once  to  decide,  in  what  arena  the  conflict 
must  be  fought. 

To  this  duty  then  I  am  called,  by  the  very  vows 
which  bound  me  to  the  altar.  Among  the  earliest 
charges  inculcated  upon  the  ministry,  even  by  an 
Apostle,  was  the  duty  of  declaring  to  their  people 
"  all  the  counsel  of  God,"  because  thus  only  could 
they  be  "  pure  from  the  blood  of  all  men."  Yes, 
brethren !  "  all  the  counsel  of  God" — not  merely  a 
few  great  and  cardinal  doctrines — those  of  repentance 
and  faiih — but  every  thing  which  forms  a  part  of  our 
common  Christianity.  How,  then,  can  he  be  fulfilling 
this  requisition,  who  omits  any  truth  which  can  exert 
an  influence  upon  the  Christian  life  and  conduct  ? 
Would  the  ancient  Jewish  priest  have  discharged  his 
duty  to  the  people,  if,  when  commanded  to  instruct 
them  in  the  law,  he  had  spent  all  his  time  in  directing 
their  attention  to  that  coming  Messiah,  who  was 
then  revealed  in  prophecy  ?  No,  his  business  was  to 
teach  them  also  the  rites  of  the  ceremonial  law — to 
show  why  they  were  severed  from  the  surrounding 
nations — and  to  recall  the  history  and  explain  the 
object  of  that  splendid  ritual  with  which   they  wor- 

®- ® 


® . ® 

20  NECESSITY    FOR    KNOWING    THE 

shipped.  And  this  is  the  wide  duty  of  the  Christian 
priest  in  our  day.  He  must  also  unfold  before  you 
the  government  and  polity  of  that  Church  which  his 
Master  founded,  when  as  the  earliest  Herald  of  the 
faith,  He  preached  among  the  villages  of  Judea,  and 
which  He  then  constituted  to  be  in  all  ages  "  the 
pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth."" 

Again — in  our  ordination  service,  the  question 
put  by  the  Bishop  to  one  about  to  be  admitted  to  the 
holy  order  of  Priests  is — "  Will  you  be  ready,  with  all 
faithful  diligence,  to  banish  and  drive  away  from  the 
Church  all  erroneous  and  strange  doctrines  contrary 
to  God's  word?" — to  which  he  replies — "I  will, 
the  Lord  being  my  helper."  And  the  exhortation  also 
is  given — "  See  that  ye  never  cease  your  labor,  your 
care  and  diligence,  until  ye  have  done  all  that  lieth 
in  you,  according  to  your  bounden  duty,  to  bring  all 
such  as  are  or  shall  be  committed  to  your  charge,  unto 
that  agreement  in  the  faith  and  knowledge  of  God, 
and  that  ripeness  and  perfection  of  age  in  Christ,  that 
there  be  no  place  left  among  you,  either  for  error  in 
religion,  or  for  viciousness  in  life."  How  then  can 
he  be  innocent,  who  beholds  what  he  regards  as  errors 
rife  around  him,  and  yet  warns  not  the  people  of  his 
charge  against  their  influence — who  suffers  them  to 
live  on  year  after  year,  attending  the  services  of  the 
Church,  yet  liable  to  be  "  tossed  to  and  fro,  and  car- 
ried about  with  every  wind  of  doctrine,"  because  they 

b  1  Tim.  iii.  15. 
® ® 


® — ^ ® 

REASONS  WHY  WE  ARE  CHURCHMEN.      21 

are  without  any  definite  knowledge  of  the  reasons  why 
they  should  be  Churchmen  ? 

Such  then  are  the  motives  which  have  induced 
me  to  address  you  on  these  subjects.  They  are  points 
which  for  the  last  three  centuries  have  exercised  the 
intellect  and  pens  of  some  of  the  most  gifted  in  each 
generation.  There  is  no  room  therefore  for  any  at- 
tempts at  originality,  but  all  that  we  can  now  do  is  to 
go  forth,  and  reap  here  and  there,  with  what  judg- 
ment we  may,  in  the  wide  fields  which  the  learned  of 
former  days  have  cultivated.  "Other  men  labored, 
and  we  have  entered  into  their  labors."  In  the  eluci- 
dation too  of  each  single  topic  which  I  can  bring  be- 
fore you  in  the  narrow  compass  of  these  lectures, 
volumes  have  been  written.  But  how  few  compara- 
tively will  turn  to  the  hoarded  wisdom  of  the  past — 
the  works  of  those  who  were  giants  in  the  intellectual 
warfare  of  older  days — and  search  for  themselves  in 
the  rich  mines  which  have  been  thus  bequeathed  to 
us?  The  very  magnitude  of  the  materials  which  are 
offered  to  their  view,  causes  them  often  to  turn  away 
in  despair,  while  to  a  simple  statement  of  the  argument 
they  will  listen  readily.  Many  too  need  to  have  their 
attention  first  awakened,  and  their  interest  excited, 
before  they  will  commence  the  examination.  My 
endeavor  therefore  shall  be,  merely  to  open  this  sub- 
ject before  you,  in  the  hope  that  afterwards,  from  the 
hints  and  suggestions  given,  you  will  feel  inclined 
yourselves  to  prosecute  the  study  of  this  important 

argument. 

2 

@ ® 


® ® 

22  NECESSITY    FOR    KNOWING    THE 

And  now,  brethren,  a  few  words  with  regard  to 
the  spirit  in  which  I  propose  to  conduct  this  inquiry. 
It  is  with  no  feeling  of  unkindness  or  opposition  to 
those  who  differ  from  us  on  these  topics.  Born  and 
educated  in  a  denomination  which  discards  the  dis- 
tinctive features  of  the  Church,  the  recollections  of 
youth  are  not  easily  forgotten,  nor  the  ties  of  relation- 
ship which  bind  me  to  those  who  reject,  as  a  corrup- 
tion of  the  dark  ages,  the  claims  of  our  ancient  Apos- 
tolic ministry,  and  almost  regard  as  heresy  the  way 
in  which  we  worship  our  God.  But  if  compelled 
•  from  principle  to  decline  uniting  with  their  commun- 
ion, and  to  differ  from  them  on  doctrines  which  the 
Church  holds  to  be  most  important,  I  would  still 
speak  of  them  only  in  the  spirit  of  love.  In  setting 
before  you  therefore  most  distinctly  the  points  on 
which  we  are  at  variance,  and  protesting  against  what 
we  believe  to  be  a  departure  from  the  Scriptural 
standard,  it  shall  still  be  done  with  no  other  feeling 
than  that  of  deep  regret  that  thus  the  followers  of  the 
same  Lord  can  disagree.  Remembering,  with  the  ex- 
cellent Hooker,  that  "  there  will  come  a  time,  when 
three  words  uttered  with  charity  and  meekness  shall 
receive  a  far  more  blessed  reward,  than  three  thou- 
sand volumes  written  with  disdainful  sharpness  of 
wit,""  he  who  now  addresses  you  would  desire  in  this, 
as  in  all  other  things,  not  to  record  a  single  line, 
" which  dying,  he  would  wish  to  blot." 

c  Preface  to  Eccles.  Polity,  Sect.  2. 

<S) — ® 


® ® 

REASONS  WHY  WE  ARE  CHURCHMEN.      23 

In  that  fearful  conflict  which  is  waging  against 
"the  Prince  of  the  power  of  the  air,  the  spirit  that 
now  worketh  in  the  children  of  disobedience,"  we 
may  hail  with  gladness  of  heart  the  success  of  any 
who  are  winning  souls  from  sin  to  holiness,  even 
though  they  "  follow  not  with  us."  Though  error 
may  be  mingled  with  the  truth  they  inculcate,  still  if 
they  can  thus  lead  the  lost  and  perishing  to  their 
God,  our  spirits  may  well  be  lifted  up  with  grati- 
tude, that  thus  the  faith  is  advanced,  "  if  by  any 
means  we  might  save  some."  When,  therefore,  we 
learn  that  through  the  efforts  of  those  who  disclaim 
our  ministry,  new  triumphs  are  won  to  the  cross 
among  the  snows  of  Greenland,  or  on  "  the  palmy 
plains"  of  Ceylon — when  we  read  how  the  Jesuits, 
Cavallero  and  Anchieta,  taught  their  creed  among 
the  mighty  forests  of  our  own  Southern  continent, 
and  for  the  first  time  the  wild  tribes  of  Brazil  bowed 
to  the  emblem  of  our  common  Master,  we  thank  God 
our  hearts  can  respond  to  the  announcement  of  their 
success,'  and  our  faith  is  strengthened  as  we  journey 

d  "  It  was  a  land  of  priestcraft,  but  the  Priest 
Believed  himself  the  fables  that  he  taught : 
Corrupt  their  forms,  and  yet  those  forms  at  least 
Prescrv'd  a  salutary  faith  that  wrought, 
Maugre  the  alloy,  the  saving  end  it  sought. 
Benevolence  had  gain'd  such  empire  there, 
That  even  superstition  had  been  brought 
An  aspect  of  Immanity  to  wear, 
And  make  the  weal  of  man  its  first  and  only  care." 

Soutkcy's  Tale  of  Paraguay,  Cant.  IV.  10. 

, _(^ 


® ® 

24  NECESSITY    FOR    KNOAVING    THE 

on  amid  the  gloom  and  trials  of  this  lower  world.  We 
can  adopt,  we  trust,  alike  the  feelings  and  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Apostle,  and  say, — "  What  then  ?  not- 
withstanding, every  way,  whether  in  pretence  or  in 
truth,  Christ  is  preached  ;  and  I  therein  do  rejoice, 
yea,  and  will  rejoice."  Yet  still,  we  may  he  clearly 
sensible  of  the  errors  of  those,  who  thus  in  a  greater 
or  less  degree  have  departed  from  that  standard  which 
our  Lord  left  for  his  followers.  Let  our  motto  then 
be  that  of  an  ancient  Bishop — "  unity,  in  things  that 
are  necessary — liberty,  in  things  that  are  unnecessary 
— charity,  in  all  things."'' 

Again — it  shall  be  my  endeavor  to  speak  plainly. 
The  trumpet  should  never  utter  an  uncertain  sound. 
There  is  no  use  on  this  point,  or  on  any  other,  of  that 
smooth  and  equivocal  preaching  which  leaves  the 
hearer  in  doubt  as  to  the  practical  conclusion.  The 
pulpit  is  no  place  from  which  to  utter  dark  sayings, 
or  to  address  you  in  the  language  of  parables.  I 
shall  endeavor  therefore,  fully  and  faithfully  to  lay 
before  you  the  distinctive  principles  of  the  Church — 
showing  that  she  is  now,  in  her  form  and  ministry, 
as  founded  by  Christ  and  his  Apostles  eighteen  cen- 
turies ago,  and  that  this  view  is  ccnfirmed  alike  by 
the  voice  of  Scripture  and  of  History.  And  if  the 
conclusions  to  which  we  come,  should  strike  at  the 
very  foundations  of  the  claims  of  those  who  surround 

e  "  In  necessariis,  unitas — in  non  necessariis,  libertas — in 
omnibus,  charitas."     St,  Avgustine. 

g) ® 


® ® 

REASONS    WHY    AVE    ARE    CHURCHMEN.  25 

US,  we  are  not  responsible  for  the  result.  We  must 
interpret  the  word  of  God  in  accordance  with  the  light 
we  have — deliver  faithfully  the  message  with  which 
He  has  charged  us — and  then,  leave  consequences  to 
Him.  It  was  not  always  with  pleasant  minstrelsy 
that  the  prophets  of  old  approached  those  to  whom 
they  were  sent.  Often  they  were  charged  with  a 
sterner  message,  as  they  rebuked  their  infatuated 
countrymen  for  abandoning  the  Holy  Temple  at  Je- 
rusalem, and  worshipping  in  groves  and  high  places 
which  their  own  hands  had  made. 

Why  then  should  you  seek  to  understand 

THE    reasons    for    BEING    ChURCHMEN  ? 

The  first  I  shall  mention  is — because  our  Divine 
Master  when  on  earth  certainly  founded  and  established 
a  Church.  Had  He  not  done  so — had  He  merely  in- 
culcated the  general  principles  of  His  faith,  and  left 
eachjpody  of  believers  to  regulate  their  own  ecclesi- 
astical government — the  case  would  have  been  widely 
different.  Then,  we  might  justly  consider  every  self- 
constituted  society,  and  every  assembly  professing 
itself  to  be  Christian,  as  a  regular  and  duly  organized 
Church  of  Christ.  Then,  every  individual  who  ima- 
gined himself  moved  to  preach  the  Gospel,  or  who 
was  asked  to  do  so  by  any  number  who  had  chosen 
thus  to  unite  together  as  a  congregation,  would  be 
fully  entitled  to  ministerial  authority,  and  as  much 
qualified  to  administer  the  sacraments,  as  if  he  had 
received  a  direct  commission  from  heaven. 

You  perceive,  then,  that  there  must  have  been 

® ^  ® 


® ® 

26  NECESSITY    FOR    KNOWING    THE 

some  visible  Church  established  by  our  Lord,  and 
some  regularly  constituted  ministry,  or  every  thing 
has  been  left  entirely  unsettled,  subject  to  the 
caprices  of  man.  And  you  will  readily  see,  to  what 
fluctuations  and  changes  the  want  of  this  established 
system  would  necessarily  give  rise.  If  at  any  parti- 
cular time — take  that  of  the  Reformation  in  the 
sixteenth  century  for  example — a  body  of  men,  for 
some  reason  which  seemed  sufficient  to  themselves, 
had  a  right  to  abandon  that  ministry  which  was  de- 
rived in  uninterrupted  succession  from  the  Apostles, 
and  without  any  new  commission  from  our  Lord,  to 
constitute  another  ministry  of  their  own,  then  any 
individuals  have  at  any  time  a  right  to  do  the  same. 
Either  the  ministry  of  the  Church  must  have  been 
handed  down  from  our  Lord  and  His  Apostles,  through 
the  long  line  of  those  who  succeeded  them — and  it  is 
from  this  fact  that  I  stand  before  you  your  aut^rized 
teacher — or  else  there  is  no  law  at  all  on  this  subject, 
and  each  one  who  occupies  these  pews  has  as  much 
right  as  I  have — should  his  fancy  lead  him  to  do  so — to 
stand  at  this  altar,  and  minister  to  you  in  holy  things. 
There  is,  therefore,  no  middle  ground  in  this  matter. 

But  our  Lord  did  not,  we  believe,  thus  abandon 
the  precious  truth  He  came  to  communicate,  to  be, 
through  all  the  following  ages,  swept  about  upon  the 
surging,  changing  sea  of  popular  will.  He  formed 
also  the  casket,  and  left  it  to  contain  and  guard  the 
precious  treasure,  until  His  coming  again.  He  con- 
stituted His  Church  to  be,   in  the  Apostle's  words, 

I 
® ® 


® ® 

REASONS  WHY  WE  ARE  CHURCHMEN.      27 

"the  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth."  He  found  His 
disciples  living  under  the  Mosaic  ritual — under  a  well 
defined,  strictly  organized  plan  of  government,  and 
is  it  to  be  supposed  that  He  released  them  from  this, 
and  yet  substituted  nothing  in  its  place  ?  While  the 
Christian  faith  was  but  the  continuation,  the  perfection 
of  the  Jewish,  was  it  to  have  no  restrictions — no  form 
of  polity  whatever  ?  Our  reason  would  dictate  to  us, 
that  this  cannot  be.  Our  Lord  knew  too  well  what 
was  in  man,  thus  to  abandon  him  to  his  own  idle 
caprices. 

It  was  after  our  Master  had  burst  the  bonds  of 
death  and  triumphed  over  the  grave — while  for  a 
time  He  was  still  lingering  on  the  earth  to  cheer  His 
disciples,  and  fit  them  for  the  trials  and  labors  which 
were  at  hand — that  He  gave  them  the  high  commission 
to  go  forth  and  lay  the  foundations  of  that  spiritual 
kingdom  which  was  to  embrace  within  its  fold,  "  all 
nations,  and  kindreds,  and  tongues."  His  clear  and 
unequivocal  language  was  :  "  Peace  be  unto  you ;  as 
my  Father  hath  sent  me,  even  so  send  I  you.  And 
when  He  had  said  this,  He  breathed  on  them,  and 
saith  unto  them,  Receive  ye  the  Holy  Ghost.  Whose 
soever  sins  ye  remit,  they  are  remitted  unto  them ; 
and  whose  soever  sins  ye  retain,  they  are  retained." 
"  And  Jesus  came,  and  spake  unto  them  saying,  All 
power  is  given  unto  me  in  Heaven  and  in  earth.  Go 
ye,  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them 
in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of 
the  Holy  Ghost ;  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things 

®— ® 


® ® 

28  NECESSITY    FOR    KNOWING    THE 

whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you  ;  and  lo,  I  am 
with  you  always,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world. '"^ 
The  general  belief  has  been,  that  during  the  forty 
days  which  intervened  between  our  Lord's  resurrec- 
tion and  ascension,  while  He  instructed  His  disciples 
in  "  the  things  pertaining  to  the  Kingdom  of  God," 
He  also  inculcated  the  organization  of  the  Church 
He  had  founded.  It  is  evident,  that  when  imme- 
diately afterwards  they  commenced  their  ministry, 
there  was  no  doubt,  no  hesitation  on  their  part. 
They  at  once  proceeded  to  develope  this  plan — to  fill 
the  vacancy  in  the  number  of  the  Apostles — "  to 
ordain  them  elders  in  every  Church"^ — and  to  con- 
stitute the  order  of  Deacons.''  This  then  was  the 
three-fold  ministry  of  the  Church. 

f  John  XX.  21,  22,  23.     Matt,  xxviii.  18,  19,  20. 

g   Acts  xiv.  23. 

h  Bishop  H.  U.  Onderdonk  argues,  (Epis.  Examined,  p. 
234,J  that  this  was  not  the  first  appointment  of  Deacons,  but 
that  they  existed  "  in  re,"  at  least,  long  before.  He  derives 
this  conclusion  from  the  following  arguments — 1.  The  Apos- 
tles, even  before  this  time,  could  not  have  attended  personal- 
ly, as  is  generally  supposed,  to  the  distribution  of  alms.  The 
work  was  too  extensive  from  the  first,  and  they  would  have 
had  to  "  leave  the  word  "  altogether,  had  they  discharged 
this  lower  office.  2.  Had  this  work  been  in  the  hands  of  the 
Apostles,  they  would  hardly  have  shown  partiality.  It  must, 
therefore,  have  been  previously  committed  to  other  agents. 
3.  If  this  was  the  beginning  of  the  order  of  the  Diaconate, 
seven  would  have  been  hardly  enough  for  the  converts,  daily 
increasing  by  thousands.  There  must,  therefore,  have  been 
others  also.     4.  The  Jewish  converts  were  of  course  much 

® . ® 


® ® 

REASONS  WHY  WE  ARE  CHURCHMEN.      29 

If,  therefore,  a  Church  was  founded  with  its 
valid  ministry,  is  it  not  our  duty  to  seek  out  this  fold 
and  unite  with  it  ?  Christ — the  Apostle  tells  us — 
"  is  Head  over  all  things  to  the  Church,  which  is  His 
body."'  Now  the  Body  can  no  more  be  divided  than 
the  Head.  Again,  he  says — "  There  is  one  Body, 
and  one  Spirit,  even  as  ye  are  called  in  one  hope  of 
your  calling ;    one  Lord,  one  faith,   one  baptism. "J 

the  most  numerous.  Thoy  did  not,  however,  complain  of 
any  neglect.  The  murmuring  came  from  the  foreign  converts. 
There  does  not,  however,  appear  to  have  been  one  native 
Hebrew  among  "the  seven  ;"  an  omission  whicli,  without 
the  construction  before  us,  would  have  invited  a  "  murmur  " 
from  the  party  before  favored.  The  probability  therefore  is, 
that  this  was  no  new  order  at  that  time  in  the  Church,  but 
that  additional  deacons,  selected  from  foreigners,  were  then 
ordained  to  minister  to  the  foreign  converts  who  had  begun  to 
increase.  They  were  added  to  provide  for  a  special  emergency. 
Such  also  is  the  view  of  Mosheim.  .  He  says — "  The^rsi 
deacons  of  the  Church,  being  chosen  from  among  Jews  who 
were  born  in  Palestine,  were  suspected  by  the  foreign  Jews  of 
partiality  in  distributing  the  oflerings  which  were  presented 
for  the  support  of  the  poor.  To  remedy,  therefore,  this  dis- 
order, seven  other  deacons  were  chosen  by  order  of  the 
Apostles,  and  employed  in  the  service  of  that  part  of  the 
Church,  at  Jerusalem,  which  was  composed  of  the  foreign 
Jews  converted  to  Christianity.  Of  these  wcio  ministers,  six 
were  foreigners,  as  appears  by  their  names  ;  the  seventh  was 
chosen  out  of  the  proselytes,  of  whom  there  were  a  certain 
number  among  the  first  Christians  at  Jerusalem,  and  to  whom 
it  was  reasonable  that  some  regard  should  be  shown  in  the 
elections  of  the  Deacons,  as  well  as  to  the  foreign  Jews." 
Comrn.  de  Rebus  Christ,  p.  118. 

i   Eph.  i.  22,  23.  j    Eph.  iv.  4. 

® — — —  ® 


® ® 

30  NECESSITY    FOR    KNOWING    THE 

It  is  indeed  a  common  opinion,  and  one  which  we 
often  hear  announced,  that  "  as  long  as  an  individual 
is  truly  religious,  it  is  a  matter  of  no  importance  to 
what  body  of  Christians  he  belongs."  But  if  this  be 
of  no  consequence,  why  was  a  Church  established  at 
all  ?  And — to  go  a  step  farther — if  a  Church  has  been 
established,  and  that  Church  is  the  body  of  Christ, 
unless  we  are  members  of  her  fold,  how  can  we  be 
members  of  Christ  ? 

Divisions  certainly  were  not  regarded  by  the 
Apostles,  as  matters  of  but  little  moment.  The 
declaration  of  St.  Paul  is — "  That  there  should  be 
no  schism  in  the  body,""  and  when  the  Corinthian 
converts,  in  their  dissensions,  began  to  arrange  them- 
selves under  the  party  names  of  Paul,  and  Apollos, 
and  Cephas,  they  were  most  sternly  rebuked  by  the 
great  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles.  His  indignant  inquiry 
was — "  Is  Christ  divided  ?"  and  the  exhortation  which 
he  wrote  them  was — "  Now  I  beseech  you,  brethren, 
by  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  ye  all 
speak  the  same  thing,  and  that  there  he  no  di- 
visions (o-^z(f/<«Tf-()  among  you;  bnt  that  ye  he  per- 
fectly joined  together  in  the  same  mind,  and  in  the 
same  judgment."'  So  fearful  did  he  regard  this  sin 
of  schism,  that  the  authors  of  it  were  not  to  be  treated 
as  Christians.  His  instructions  on  this  head  were — 
"  Now  I  beseech  you,  brethren,  marli  them  which 
cause  divisions  and  offences,  contrary  to  the  doctrine 

k  ]  Cor.  xii.25.  1   1  Cor.  i.  12. 

@ (5) 


® — . ^® 

REASONS  WHY  WE  ARE  CHURCHMEN.      31 

which  ye  have  learned;  and  avoid  them,  for  they  that 
are  such  serve  not  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.'""  And  so 
St.  Jude  speaks  of  those  "  who  separate  themselves," 
as  "  having  not  the  Spirit."  Is  it  not,  then,  a  matter 
of  importance  to  belong  to  that  Church  which  our 
Lord  founded  1  And  if  you  are  now  numbered  with 
her  members,  should  you  not  understand  the  ground 
of  your  belief — the  reasons  why  you  are  Churchmen  1" 

m   Rom.  xvi.  17. 

n  The  early  Fathers  always  wrote  on  the  subject  of 
schism,  in  the  same  strain  with  the  Apostles.  Ignatius  says 
— "As  children  of  liglit  and  truth,  avoid  the  division  of 
unity."     Epist.  ad  Philad. 

Ireneus  says — "The  spiritual  man  will  also  judge  those 
who  work  divisions;  vain  men,  devoid  of  the  love  of  God, 
seeking  their  own  advantage  more  than  the  unity  of  the 
Church  ;  who  for  trifling,  nay,  for  any  causes,  rend  and 
divide  the  great  and  glorious  body  of  Christ,  and  as  far  as  in 
them  lies,  slay  it ;  who  speak  peace,  and  work  warfare  ;  who 
truly  strain  at  the  gnat,  and  swallow  the  camel  ;  for  no  im- 
provement can  he  made  by  them  so  great,  as  is  the  evil  of 
schism."     Adv.  Hceres.  iv.  c.  33. 

The  martyr  Cyprian  wrote  a  Treatise — "  De  Unitate 
Ecclesise  Catholicae  " — especially  upon  this  subject.  He 
says:  "Heresy  and  schism  are  his  [Satan's]  invention,  for 
the  subversion  of  faith,  the  corruption  of  trutli,  the  division 
of  unity.  Those  whom  he  can  no  longer  retain  in  the  blind- 
ness of  the  former  way,  he  circumvents  by  betraying  them 
into  deviation  from  their  new  progress.  He  tears  men  away 
from  the  Church  ;  and  while  they  imagine  themselves  to 
have  come  unto  the  light,  and  to  have  escaped  the  night  of 
this  world,  he  secretly  infuses  a  second  accession  of  darkness  ; 
so  that  they  continue  to  call  themselves  Christians,  while 

®- — ® 


® ® 

32  NECESSITY    FOR    KNOAVING    THE 

Again — a  second  reason  for  acquiring  this  know- 
ledge is — because  if  toe  are  members  of  that  Church 
which  our  Lord  founded,  loe  must  be  free  from  many 
errors  on  various  subjects,  which  mingle  loith  the 
faith  of  those  who  dissent  from  her.  Our  object  of 
course  must  be,  to  receive  the  truth  as  pure  as  possi- 

they  stand  not  by  the  Gospel  of  Clirist,  and  never  heed  or 
obey  Him." 

In  the  same  work  he  speaks  also  of  Episcopary  as  a  wit- 
ness for  Unity.  "  He  who  holds  not  this  unity  of  the 
Church,  does  he  think  that  he  holds  the  faith  .''  When  a 
man  struggles  against  the  Church,  and  resists  it,  does  he  sup- 
pose that  he  continues  to  belong  to  it.'" 

In  the  same  way  St.^ugustine  writes  against  the  Dona- 
tists,  and  his  testimony  is  particularly  valuable,  because  this 
was  a  sect  whose  only  error  was  schism,  while  in  other 
points — as  Mosheim  states — "  their  doctrine  was  conformable 
to  that  of  the  Church,  as  even  their  adversaries  confess." 
{Cent.  iv.  part.  ii.  ch.  5.  sex.  8.)  But  mark  with  what  severity 
he  reproves  their  sin.  He  supposes  the  Church  thus  to 
address  them — "  My  children,  why  do  you  complain  of  your 
Mother  .''  I  wish  to  hear  why  yon  have  deserted  me.  You 
accuse  your  brethren,  and  I  am  rent  asunder  by  you.  When 
the  Gentiles  persecuted  me,  I  suffered  much  ;  many  left  me, 
but  they  left  me  through  fear.  No  one  forced  yo2i  thus  to 
rebel  against  me.  You  say  that  you  are  with  me,  but  you  must 
perceive  tliat  this  is  false  !  I  am  called  Catholic  ;  you  are  on 
the  side  of  Donatus."  (Contra  Donat.  ix.  8.)  And  again,  he 
says  :  "  The  question  between  us  and  the  Donatists  is,  Where 
is  the  Church  of  God  ?  With  us,  or  with  them  .'  This  Church 
is  one  denominated  by  our  ancestors.  Catholic  ;  to  denote,  by 
the  very  name,  that  it  is  everywhere  diffused."  Ep.  ad 
Cath.  ii.  338. 

® ® 


® ® 

REASONS  WHY  WE  ARE  CHURCHMEN.      33 

ble.  How  should  we  have  acted,  therefore,  had  we 
lived  in  the  days  of  our  Lord's  personal  ministry  on 
the  earth  ?  There  would  then  have  been  no  doubts  on 
this  subject.  We  should,  of  course,  have  attached  our- 
selves to  Him,  as  members  of  His  own  household  of  faith 
— the  little  Church  of  which  He  was  the  Visible 
Head. 

But  the  Church  did  not  end  with  our  Lord,  for 
when  He  ascended  up,  He  left  others  as  His  appointed 
successors,  saying  unto  them :  "  As  my  Father  hath 
sent  me,  even  so  send  I  you."  Of  course,  then,  at 
this  time  we  should  have  thought  it  safest  to  unite 
with  them  in  visible  fellowship,  esteeming  ourselves 
in  this  way  more  certain  of  spiritual  blessings,  than 
by  belonging  to  any  self-constituted  societies  in  Gali- 
lee or  Antioch,  (had  such  things  existed,)  which  had 
merely  received  some  of  the  prominent  doctrines  of 
our  Lord,  yet  without  submitting  to  the  rule  of  His 
chosen  Apostles.  Yet  these  Apostles  also  appointed 
their  successors,  to  whom  this  same  authority  was  thus 
transmitted,  and  they  again  consecrated  others,  and  so 
the  chain  was  kept  up  through  the  second  century, 
and  the  third,  and  the  fourth,  until  it  reaches  down 
even  to  our  day.  Is  not,  then,  the  obligation  to  be- 
long to  this  Church  as  imperative  upon  us,  in  the 
nineteenth  century,  as  it  was  upon  those  who  lived  in 
the  first  1  And  if  we  now  find  the  Christian  world 
divided  into  contending  sects,  which  have  strayed  off 
from  her  fold — disclaimed  some  of  her  doctrines — 
and  renounced  her  Apostolic  ministry — I  submit  to 
® O 


(5) ® 

I 

34  NECESSITY    FOR    KNOWING    THE 

you  the  question,  Which  is  the  part  of  prudence  ?  Is 
it  not  to  find  out  this  Church,  which  has  come  down 
from  the  earliest  age,  and  to  unite  with  her  ?  Let 
your  reason  decide. 

But  we  are  told  that  each  one  who  loves  the  Lord 
Jesus  in  sincerity  and  truth,  shall  be  saved  at  last 
through  His  atonement,  even  though  he  "  folloAV  not 
with  us."  We  deny  it  not,  for  sorrowful  indeed 
would  be  our  view  of  human  life  could  we  believe 
otherwise.  When  the  voice  of  strife  is  loud  around 
us,  and  the  truth  is  defaced  by  passion  or  obscured 
by  prejudice,  we  can  look  forward  with  joy  to  the 
hour  when  the  end  of  all  these  things  shall  be.  Then, 
we  trust  that  those  mighty  spirits  who  now  display  so 
much  intellectual  power  while  they  have  "  fallen  out 
by  the  way,"  will  meet  in  peace  before  their  Father's 
throne,  and  as  they  rejoice  together  in  the  light  of  his 
countenance,  will  forget  the  differences  which  divided 
them  on  their  journey  thither.  "  The  spirit  of  Chris- 
tianity is  a  spirit  of  love,  and  it  often  dwells  among 
those  who,  in  this  world  of  corruption  and  folly,  are 
most  widely  severed.  It  is  cheering  to  think,  that 
when  the  films  which  obscure  our  earthly  vision  are 
removed,  we  may  all  be  found  prostrate  in  adoration 
before  the  Lamb  who  died  to  redeem  all  by  his  most 
precious  blood.""  Yet  still,  those  who  have  aban- 
doned the  Church,  must  necessarily  be  mingling  some 
errors  with  the  truths  they  receive;  may  they  not 

o  Dr.  Jarvis's  Sermon  on  Church  Unity,  in  1836,  p.  26,  n. 

® ® 


® ^® 

REASONS  WHY  WE  ARE  CHURCHMEN.      35 

therefore  be  depriving  themselves  of  advantages,  and 
cutting  themselves  off  from  spiritual  blessings,  which 
otherwise  they  would  enjoy,  on  their  way  to  heaven  ? 
This  is  a  point  which  we  shall  not  fully  know  until 
the  last  day.  Admit  however  the  principle  on  which 
this  objection  to  our  claims  is  founded,  and  you  may 
as  well  assert  that,  because  we  believe  the  heathen 
who  lives  up  to  the  light  he  has  will  be  saved,'"  there- 
fore there  is  no  use  in  his  ever  hearing  of  Christianity, 
because  he  can  reach  heaven  without  it.  This  view 
indeed  confounds  all  principle  of  belief — renders 
truth  utterly  unimportant — and  inculcates  the  notion, 
that  God  may  impart  directions  to  us,  yet  if  we  in  our 
wisdom  believe  them  to  be  of  secondary  importance, 
we  may  entirely  disregard  them.'' 

p  Rom.  ii.  14. 

q  There  is  probably  no  body  of  Christians  more  inclined 
to  narrow  down  salvation  than  the  Romanists,  and  yet  they 
do  not  confine  it  to  those  within  the  pale  of  their  own  Church. 
They  extend  it  also  to  others  who  from  conscientious  motives 
have  remained  separated  from  it.  Thus,  their  great  writer 
Dr.  Milner  says — "  Catholic  divines  and  the  holy  fathers,  at 
the  same  time  that  they  strictly  insist  on  the  necessity  of  ad- 
hering to  the  doctrine  and  communion  of  the  Catholic  church, 
make  an  express  exception  in  favor  of  what  is  termed  invin- 
cible ignorance  ;  which  occurs  when  persons  out  of  the  true 
Church  are  sincerely  and  firmly  resolved,  in  spite  of  all  world- 
ly allurements  on  one  hand,  and  all  opposition  to  the  con- 
trary on  the  other,  to  enter  into  it,  if  they  could  find  it  out, 
and  when  they  use  their  best  endeavors  for  this  purpose. 
This  exception  in  favor  of  the  invincibly  ignorant  is  made  by 
the  same  St.  Augustine  who  so  strictly  insists  on  the  general 

^ ® 


®— — — — ® 

36  NECESSITY    FOR    KNOWING    THE 

In  examining  this  principle,  indeed,  I  know  not 
how  better  to  explain  it,  than  by  bringing  before  you 
the  striking  illustration  employed  by  the  Bishop  of 
Vermont.  He  thus  shows  its  absurdity.  "  The  re- 
spectable society  of  Friends,  frequently  called  Quak- 
ers, are  well  known  as  professing  Christianity,  and 
as  being  on  some  points  remarkably  zealous  followers 
of  the  precepts  of  the  Gospel.  Their  love  of  peace — 
their  order — their  patient  endurance  of  persecution — 
what  more  lovely  exhibition  of  practical  religion  have 
modern  days  to  boast,  than  this  remarkable  people 
have  displayed  in  these  particulars?  But  they  have 
adopted  the  erroneous  idea,  that  a  purer  dispensation 
of  the  Gospel  was  committed  to  George  Fox,  the 
founder  of  this  sect,  which  superseded  in  some  re- 
rule  our   great   controvertist,  Bellarmine  asserts, 

that  such  Christians,  '  in  virtue  of  the  disposition  of  their 
hearts,  belong  to  the  Catholic  Church.'  "  End  of  Contro- 
versy.    Letter  xxi.  p.  137,  Lond.  1841. 

Again — in  another  place,  in  his  letter  on  "the  Quali- 
ties of  Catholicity,"  he  says,  when  speaking  of  the  Church 
of  England,  and  other  bodies  of  Christians  not  in  union  with 
the  Romish  Church — "All  the  young  children  who  have 
been  baptized  in  them,  and  all  invincibly  ignorant  Christians, 
who  exteriorly  adhere  to  them,  really  belong  to  the  Catholic 
Church,  as  I  have  siiown  above."     Letter  xxix.  p.  190. 

The  same  view  of  this  doctrine  as  held  by  the  Church  of 
Rome  is  given  by  Palmer  in  his  Treatise  on  the  Church,  vol. 
i.  p.  240.  When  therefore  they  assert — "  There  is  no  salva- 
tion without  the  pale  of  the  Catholic  Church" — the  question 
is.  What  do  they  mean  by  "  the  Catholic  Church  .''" 

® ® 


® ® 

REASONS    WHY    WE    ARE    CHURCHMEN.  »J7     j 

spects  the  directions  of  Apostolic  rule,  and  hence  ! 
they  have  no  order  of  the  ministry,  no  water  baptism, 
no  administration  of  the  communion.  Their  women 
are  allowed  to  teach  in  public  equally  with  men,  and 
they  are  strong  opponents  in  all  these  points  of  the 
Church  established  by  the  Apostles.  Now  is  it  compe- 
tent for  us  to  say,  that  the  pious  and  sincere  Quaker 
shall  be  cast  out  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  on  account 
of  these  serious  errors  in  his  system  ?  God  forbid.  We 
are  not  the  judges  of  our  fellows.  Nay,  it  is  the  voice 
of  the  Redeemer  himself  which  saith,  '  Judge  not,  that 
ye  be  not  judged.'  On  the  other  hand,  shall  we  ad- 
mit that  the  pious  Quaker  is  on  an  equality  with 
those  who,  being  equally  sincere,  have  retained  faith- 
fully the  whole  system  of  the  Book  of  God  1  Surely 
not,  for  this  would  be  an  absurdity.  It  is  preposter- 
ous to  say,  that  the  man  who  is  in  error  can  be  on 
an  equality  with  him  that  is  not  in  error.  It  is  pre- 
posterous to  say,  that  he  who  departs  from  the  rules 
of  the  Christian  Church,  is  as  safe  as  he  who  dili- 
gently keeps  them.  Consequently,  while  we  behold 
the  Quiker  with  all  benevolence  of  feeling,  and  wil- 
lingly praise  every  thing  in  his  faith  and  practice 
which  accords  with  the  Word  of  God,  we  hesitate 
not  to  declare,  plainly  and  unequivocally,  that  he  has 
fallen  into  error  on  the  points  specified ;  that  in  this 
error  we  cannot  take  any  part,  nor  can  we  give  it 
either  allowance  or  encouragement ;  while,  neverthe- 
i  less,  we  do  not  undertake  to  define  the  peril  to  which 
I   it  exposes  him   before  God,  but  leave  him   to  that 

I  '  3 

@ ^ ® 


® __ ® 

3S  NECESSITY    FOR    KNOWING    THE 

tribunal  before  which  we  must  all  stand  at  the  day  of 
final  retribution"' 

Now  we  may  apply  this  view   to  the  whole  con- 
troversy, on  the  claims  of  the  different  denominations   I 
of  Christians.     The  question  is  not — can  a  person  be 

saved  without  the  Church?  but,  has  God  established    ; 

1 
any  Church  with  a  particular  organization,  which  is    i 

still  in  existence  ?  If  He  have,  it  is  clearly  our  duty 
to  be  included  within  this  fold.  Thus  shall  we  be  con- 
forming ourselves  most  nearly  to  the  divine  standard, 
and  of  course  be  most  certain  of  spiritual  blessings. 
All  these  various  sects  cannot  be  right.  Truth  can- 
not have  a  hundred  forms.  She  is  one,  and  we  must 
search  her  out  among  all  the  counterfeits  by  which 
she  is  surrounded,  and  then  cleave  to  her. 

Again — another  reason  why  we  should  under- 
stand our  distinctive  Church  principles  is,  because 
zoithoiit  this  knowledge  wc  cannot  be  useful  or  con- 
sistent C/iu  fell  men.  The  times  in  which  we  live  are 
peculiar.  It  seems  to  be  a  crisis  both  in  the  in- 
tellectual and  moral  history  of  our  race.  It  is  an  age 
of  inquiry  and  investigation — an  age  "  emulous  of 
change" — when  the  truths  in  which  our  fathers 
rested  are  questioned  and  disallowed,  and  the  maxim 
of  many  around  us  is — "  Old  things  have  passed 
away  ;  all  things  have  become  new."  And  with 
reference  to  no  subject  is  this  spirit  more  fully  dis- 
played than  that  of  religion.     Whatever  may  be  the 

r  The   Priin.    Ciiurch  compared  witli    the  Prot.  Epi.scopal 
Church,  by  Bp.  Hopkins,  p.  7. 

® ® 


®- 


-® 


REASONS    WHY    WE    ARE    CHURCHMEN. 


39 


result,  the  time  of  indifference  at  least  is  going  by. 
Men  seem  to  be  awakening  to  the  truth,  that  it  is 
a  matter  of  concern  and  importance  whether  or  not 
they  are  in  the  right  way.  Experience  is  beginning 
to  demonstrate  to  them,  that  he  whose  creed  is  erro- 
neous, will  at  length  become  erroneous  in  his  life 
also,  and  they  are  therefore  learning  to  discard  that 
shallow  sophism  of  the  poet — 

"  For  modes  of  faith,  let  graceless  zealots  fight; 
His  can't  be  wrong  whose  life  is  in  the  right. "^ 

For  it  is  evident,  that  if  his  religion  has  any  hold 
upon  him  at  all,  his  life  will  partake  of  the  eccentrici- 
ties of  his  belief,  and  be,  in  fact,  but  his  creed 
developed  in  action.  The  consequence  is,  that  the 
sound  of  theological  warfare  has  lately  come  up  with 
redoubled  energy  from  all  quarters  of  the  Christian 
world.  We  hear  on  every  side  the  earnest  inquiry 
— "  What  is  truth?"  And  the  brightest  sign  of  the 
times  is,  that  the  thoughtful  and  the  serious  in  such 
numbers  are  looking  to  the  Church.  They  see  her 
standing  unaltered  in  the  midst  of  all  this  conflict. 
It  rages  around,  yet  her  venerable  battlements  are 
untouched.  The  spirit  of  the  age  is  continually 
modifying  the  sects  about  her,  yet  she  is  now  in 
doctrine,  and  worship,  and  ministry,  what  she  was 
in  the  Apostles'  days.  Time  writes  no  wrinkle  on 
her  brow,  and  impairs  not  her  strength.  Is  it  not 
natural,  then,  that  the  question  should  be  often  asked 


®- 


s  Pope's  Essay  on  Man,  Ep.  iii. 


® 


w y 


® ® 

40  NECESSITY    FOR    KNOWING    THE 

by  those  who  are  tired  of  the  contention  and  change 
they  meet  with  elsewhere — What  is  the  secret  of 
this  stability  1  Is  it  not  also  the  duty  of  each  Church- 
man, to  study  her  distinctive  features,  that  he  may  be 
enabled  both  to  stand  fast  in  the  old  ways,  and  also 
to  give  a  reason  for  his  choice  to  the  many  who  are 
inquiring? 

We  can  see,  too,  that  the  day  is  approaching  in 
which  she  must  take  part  in  the  conflict,  to  repel  the 
assaults  of  her  enemies.  Her  wonderful  increase  has 
not  been  unmarked  by  those  who  are  opposed  to  her, 
and  now  there  is  on  every  side  a  rallying  to  stop  her 
progress.  Should  not  her  friends  then  know  why 
they  belong  to  her  fold,  and  the  points  in  which  she 
differs  from  those  who  are  arrayed  against  her  1  No 
one  can  long  labor  with  effect  in  a  cause  which  he 
does  not  perfectly  understand.  He  may  be  aroused 
to  a  spasmodic  effort  by  some  sudden  burst  of  enthu- 
siasm, but  it  needs  something  more  to  sustain  him 
amid  the  weariness  and  self-denial  of  continued  ex- 
ertion. To  inspire  him  with  an  abiding  earnestness, 
his  views  must  be  clear  and  distinct.  He  must  be, 
as  it  were,  deeply  penetrated  with  the  truth  he  would 
advocate,  and  then  he  will  be  compelled  to  listen 
reverently  to  her  voice,  and  to  go  forth  and  labor  in 
her  behalf,  when  she  points  him  to  the  field.  Other- 
wise a  secret,  lurking  unbelief,  will  belie  the  cold 
profession  of  his  lips,  or  else,  if  believed  at  all,  the 
truth  for  which  he  is  bound  to  contend,  will  be  en- 

(S) ® 


® ® 

REASONS  WHY  WE  ARE  CHURCHMEN.      41 

tirely  inoperative,  and  "  lie  bed-ridden  in  the  dormi- 
tory of  the  soul.'" 

The  Church  can  never  depend  upon  the  stability 
of  her  ignorant  members.  He  who  attends  her 
services,  merely  because  he  was  born  a  Churchman 
— or  because  to  do  so  is  convenient — or  because  he 
prefers  the  minister  who  happens  to  officiate  at  her 
altar — can  be  of  but  little  benefit  to  her  cause.  The 
slightest  reason  will  induce  him  to  leave  her  fold  and 
unite  with  others.  He  has  merely  a  personal  prefer- 
ence, not  founded  on  any  distinct  understanding  of 
her  claims.  Far  be  it  from  me,  my  brethren,  to 
speak  in  the  slightest  degree  in  disparagement  of 
that  feeling  of  affection  which  binds  a  people  to  their 
pastor,  for  no  one  prizes  it  more  highly  than  I  do. 
Yet  it  must  be  engrafted  upon  Churchmanship,  not 
substituted  for  it.  Let  an  individual  be  attached 
from  principle  to  the  Church  herself,  and  then  any 
pastoral  tie  will  but  strengthen  his  love  for  her.  But 
where  this  exists  alone,  pleasant  as  it  may  be  to  the 
individual  towards  whom  this  affection  is  directed,  it 
will  often  in  the  end  cause  the  Church  to  suffer. 

In  proof  of  this,  we  could  point  you  to  cases  in 
which  large  and  flourishing  congregations,  upon  the 
death  or  removal  of  their  minister,  have  been  sadly 
injured  by  their  members  scattering  to  the  sects 
which  surrounded  them.  And  the  reason  is  evident. 
There  was  no  Church  principle  there,  and  when  their 

t  Coleridge's  Friend,  Essay  xv. 
® ® 


® 

42  NECESSITY    FOR    KNOWING    THE 

head  was  removed  they  thought  not  of  the  Apostolic 
Church,  but  merely  looked  around  for  some  one  else 
whom  personally  they  could  admire.  But  had  they 
been  grounded  in  a  knowledge  of  the  claims  of  their 
Church,  they  would  have  felt  that  the  first  duty  was 
to  her — to  cling  to  her  through  good  report  and  evil 
report — to  devote  themselves  to  build  her  up — while 
the  question  of  their  allegiance  was  entirely  inde- 
pendent of  any  attachment  or  dislike  to  the  individual 
who,  for  the  time,  was  ministering  at  her  altar. 
Fearful  indeed  was  often  the  wickedness  of  the 
Scribes  and  Pharisees  in  the  days  of  our  Lord;  and 
yet  while  He  condemned  their  conduct.  He  declared 
that  they  were  the  authorized  teachers  of  the  nation, 
and  directed  His  disciples  to  reverence  them  accord- 
ingly. "  The  Scribes  and  the  Pharisees  " — said  he 
— "  sit  in  Moses'  seat :  all  therefore  whatsoever  they 
bid  you  observe,  that  observe  and  do ;  but  do  not  ye 
after  their  works  :  for  they  say,  and  do  not."" 

And  now,  let  me  close  this  part  of  the  subject,  by 
giving  you  the  testimony  of  one  whose  name  and 
worth  have  been  widely  known  through  the  religious 
community.  Probably  few  among  our  clergy  have 
been  more  honored  by  those  who  differ  from  us  on  the 
subject  of  Church  government,  than  the  late  Dr. 
Bedell  of  Philadelphia.  We  find,  however,  his  biog- 
rapher. Dr.  Tyng  of  the  same  city,  in  describing  his 
views  towards   the   close  of  his  ministry,  remarks : 

u    Matt,  xxiii.  2,  3. 
® ® 


® ® 

REASONS  WHY  WE  ARE  CHURCHMEN.      43 

"  He  had  seldom  preached  in  Philadelphia  upon 
what  are  termed  the  '  distinctive  principles '  of  the 
Episcopal  Church,  finding  so  much  more  pressing 
calls  for  his  time  and  efforts  in  teaching  the  great 
principles  of  the  Gospel,  which  are  indispensable  to 
man's  salvation,  and  desiring  first  to  build  up  his 
people  in  the  acceptance  and  love  of  these  ..... 
That  the  time  however  had  come,  when  a  more  de- 
cided exhibition  of  those  points  of  distinction  might 
have  been  desirable,  when  his  own  health  failed  and 
his  ministry  closed,  I  have  no  doubt.  And  this  seems 
to  have  been,  at  that  time,  his  own  impression  and 
plan,  for  he  had  commenced  a  course  of  sermons 
upon  this  class  of  subjects,  which  his  failing  health 
never  allowed  him  to  deliver  or  to  complete."  He  re- 
ferred to  this  fact  in  a  conversation  with  one  of  his 
brethren  in  the  ministry,  at  Bedford,  but  a  few  weeks 
before  his  death.  That  gentleman  thus  relates  it  in 
a  letter  to  Mrs.  Bedell — "  He  said,  like  many  who 
thought  and  acted  with  him,  he  had  for  years  said 
little  on  the  peculiarities  of  our  Church,  but  the 
period  had  arrived  when  they  should  be  taught  and 
preached.  While  many  in  their  preaching  had  given 
them  too  much  prominency,  he  had  given  them  too 
little ;  but  the  state  of  the  times  seemed  to  require 
it.  These  had  now  changed  for  the  better,  and  the 
same  foundation  for  difference  did  not  exist.  He 
then  added,  very  emphatically,  '  If  God  spares  my 
life,  I  intend  delivering  a  course  of  sermons  on  Epis- 
copacy this  coming  winter.'     This  course,  he  informed 

® ® 


® _® 

44  NECESSITY    FOR    KNOWING    THE 

me,  he  had  then  in  preparation."  On  this  passage 
Dr.  Tyng  remarks :  "  As  certainly  as  it  is  our  duty 
to  declare  the  whole  counsel  of  God,  I  concede  it  is 
our  duty  to  declare  the  doctrines  of  the  Scripture 
in  regard  to  the  Church  of  Christ."' 

Such,  then,  are  some  of  the  reasons  why  you  should 
understand  your  distinctive  principles  as  churchmen. 
In  concluding,  then,  this  Introductory  Lecture,  I 
would  ask  your  candid  attention  to  those  which  shall 
follow.  Much  which  may  be  presented,  if  new  and 
strange,  will  be  regarded  at  first  with  but  little  favor. 
It  may  be  at  variance  with  views  previously  adopted. 
It  depends,  however,  entirely  upon  argument,  and  we 
ask  you  to  dismiss  all  prejudice,  and  weigh  candidly 
and  fairly  what  may  be  said.  We  shrink  not  from 
investigation  on  this  subject.  We  court  the  most 
rigid  inquiry. 

And  let  me  not  be  met  at  the  outset,  with  the  usual 
cry  of  bigotry.  That  epithet  is  surely  misapplied  to 
one  who  is  discharging  a  duty  to  which  he  is  called 
by  his  ordination  vow,  while  it  is  done  in  no  hostile  or 
unkindly  spirit  towards  others.  There  is,  indeed,  no 
middle  path  on  the  subject.  If  the  ministers  of  the 
Church  believe  her  doctrines  on  this  point,  they  are 
as  much  bound  to  set  them  before  their  people,  as 
they  are  those  which  relate  to  any  other  point.  With 
the  result  they  have  nothing  to  do.  They  must  feel 
as  did  the  Apostle,  when  he  said — "  With  me  it  is  a 

V  Life,  pp.  287,  288. 

1 

®- @ 


® ® 

REASONS  WHY  WE  ARE  CHURCHMEN.      45 

very  small  thing  that  I  should  be  judged  of  you,  or  of 

man's  judgment but  he  that  judgeth  me  is 

the  Lord.""  Their  business  is,  to  preach  the  eternal 
truths  of  the  Gospel,  whether  men  will  hear,  or 
whether  they  will  forbear.  Even  when  all  gainsay 
and  reject,  they  can  adopt  the  consoling  reflection  of 
the  ancient  prophet — "  Yet  surely  my  judgment  is 
with  the  Lord,  and  my  work  is  with  my  God.'"' 

We  know,  indeed,  that  to  advocate  the  doctrines 
we  are  inculcating,  is  not  to  act  in  accordance  with 
popular  views.  Yet  he  is  surely  unworthy  of  his 
sacred  calling,  and  regardless  of  the  solemn  hour  of 
retribution  which  is  at  hand,  who,  through  fear  of 
censure  or  a  wish  to  court  applause,  could  shrink 
from  declaring  any  thing  which  he  conscientiously 
believes.  A  different  path  is  marked  out  for  him,  in 
the  discharge  of  his  duty  as  a  faithful  watchman.  He 
must  warn  the  people  of  his  charge  against  every 
opinion  and  every  practice  which  would  rend,  by 
schism,  the  mystical  body  of  their  Redeemer.  There 
is  too  a  loftier  destiny  to  be  accomplished,  than  that 
which  falls  to  the  lot  of  him  who  glides  along  easily 
with  the  current,  winning  the  praise  of  "  a  generation 
that  are  wise  in  their  own  eyes."  It  is  to  contend 
earnestly  against  the  opinions  of  this  mistaken  world 
— to  be  "  faithful  found  among  the  faithless  " — breast- 
ing the  storm,  and  rebuking  the  cherished  delusions 
of  those  around  him,  even  though  he  should  be  obliged 

I  w    1  Cor.  iv.  3,  4.  x    Isaiah -xlix.  4. 

I  3* 

® ® 


® ® 

46  NECESSITY    FOR    KNOWING    THE 

to  Stand  forth  (to  use  Milton's  words),  as  "the  sole 
advocate  of  a  discountenanced  truth,"  Human  lan- 
guage, therefore,  could  not  write  above  the  champion 
of  the  Church  a  nobler  epitaph,  than  that  encomium 
which  the  first  Bishop  of  Calcutta,  Dr.  Middleton, 
pronounced  upon  the  unbending  Horsley — "  He  ran 
a  glorious  but  unpopular  career  in  the  midst  of  an 
heretical  and  apostate  age." 

But  we  may  remember,  that  if  now  these  principles 
are  disputed  and  disallowed,  there  was  a  time  when 
their  reception  was  far  different.  In  the  earliest 
ages  of  our  faith,  when  the  memory  of  our  Lord  had 
not  yet  become  dim  in  the  minds  and  hearts  of  his 
followers,  all  gladly  acknowledged  those  truths  for 
which  now  we  are  forced  to  contend.  We  stand  not 
alone,  then,  in  this  profession.  We  hold  it  with 
"  the  glorious  company  of  the  Apostles,"  and  "the 
noble  army  of  martyrs."  And  these  days  of  union 
we  believe  shall  once  more  return.  Dark  though  the 
clouds  may  be  which  gather  around  us,  the  Sun  of 
Righteousness  shall  yet  pour  his  beams  over  this  be- 
nighted world,  dispelling  these  mists  of  prejudice 
and  error  ;  and  already  the  distant  horizon  is  lighted 
up  with  the  glory  which  heralds  his  coming.  "  Truth," 
— says  the  Eastern  proverb — "  is  the  daughter  of 
Time ;"  and  though  we  wait  long  for  her  coming,  yet 
at  last  she  will  appear.  Her  progress  cannot  be  stayed, 
or  her  final  triumph  prevented.  She  mocks  the  vain 
efforts  of  her  adversaries.  They  may,  for  a  season, 
imprison  her  in  the  tomb,  but  it  will  only  be  that  she 
® ® 


(g — - — -.—. ® 

I         REASONS  WHY  WE  ARE  CHURCHMEN.      47 

may  burst  forth  with  a  new  and  more  glorious  beauty. 
In  vain  for  her  will  be  the  stone,  the  seal,  the  guard. 
She  must  have  her  resurrection.  She  must  enjoy  her 
own  immortality. 

In  this  hope,  then,  we  live;  when  error  is  rife 
around  us,  striving  to  hold  fast  to  our  steadfastness — 
to  set  forth  the  truth  in  humility — and  looking  for- 
ward to  the  time,  when  all  the  warring  sects  which 
now  distract  the  Christian  world  shall  profess  with 
"  one  heart  the  faith  delivered  to  the  saints,"  and 
with  "  one  mouth  glorify  God."  And  for  this  we 
pray,  when  gathered  in  His  holy  temple,  we  utter 
those  solemn  words  of  our  own  Litany — 

"  From  all  false  doctrine,  heresy,  and  schism. 
Good  Lord,  deliver  us." 


■® 


® '■ ® 


EPISCOPACY  PROVED  FROM  SCRIPTURE. 


Who  then,  uncalled  by  Thee, 
Dare  touch  Thy  Spouse,  thy  very  self  below? 
Or  who  dares  count  him  summoned  worthily, 

Except  Thy  hand  and  seal  he  show  ? 

Keble. 


® — (g 


®- 


-® 


II. 


EPISCOPACY  PROVED  EROM  SCRIPTURE. 


Let  us  look  back  this  evening  through  the  long 
vista  of  nearly  eighteen  centuries,  to  a  little  group 
which  then  had  gathered  in  Judea.  It  was  our  risen 
Lord  surrounded  by  His  eleven  disciples.  The  time 
of  His  triumph  had  come.  The  fearful  conflict  with 
our  great  enemy  was  over,  and  his  power  broken.  Death 
had  been  vanquished,  and  the  grave  robbed  of  its  prey. 
And  now,  when  the  Son  of  God  was  about  to  leave 
this  world  of  suffering  and  ascend  to  His  Father,  His 
faithful  followers  had  collected  about  Him,  to  hear  His 
last  injunctions  before  "  the  cloud  received  Him  out 
of  their  sight." 

The  outward,  busy  world  knew  not  of  this  little 
assembly,  and  cared  not  for  its  doings.  Yet  in  that 
hour  words  were  spoken  which  changed  the  destiny 
of  man,  and  a  command  was  given,  whose  influence 
shall  be  felt  to  the  end  of  time.  Then  was  issued 
that  broad  commission — "  Go  ye  and  teach  all  nations, 


-® 


® ■ ® 

52  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE. 

baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the 
Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  teaching  them  to  observe 
all  things,  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you." 
Here  is  the  Charter  of  the  Christian  Church — the 
source  of  all  power  to  her  rulers.  The  twilight  dim- 
ness of  Judaism  was  over,  and  the  full  glory  of  the 
Sun  of  Righteousness  was  about  to  shine.  Our  mas- 
ter's kingdom  was  to  fill  the  whole  world.  The  faith, 
no  longer  shut  in  by  the  hills  of  Judea,  was  to  go  forth 
everywhere,  enlightening  the  nations.  His  ministers 
were  to  inherit  the  earth. 

But  what  is  His  Church,  and  who  are  His  min- 
isters 1  and  how  did  He  constitute  them  ?  To  be 
equal  in  rank — or  each,  according  to  his  degree,  to 
yield  obedience  to  those  above  him  ?  Did  He  "  of 
His  wise  providence  appoint  divers  Orders  in  His 
Church" — or  one  grade  of  ministers  only  ?  Was  the 
office  of  an  Apostle  to  be  perpetuated,  or  did  its 
authority  expire  when  the  last  survivor  of  the  twelve 
died  at  Ephesus  ?  These  are  the  points  on  which  the 
Church  differs  with  those  about  her,  and  to  a  con- 
sideration of  which  we  would  ask  your  candid  atten- 
tion. They  are  not  questions  which  can  be  set  aside, 
or  regarded  as  unimportant.  They  act  upon  our  con- 
duct in  daily,  practical  life.  They  have  their  influ- 
ence on  the  spiritual  interests  of  millions  of  immortal 
beings.  Are  we — or  are  those  who  dissent  from  us — 
walking  in  the  path  which  our  Lord  marked  out,  and 
enjoying  the  ministry  which  he  instituted  ?  These 
therefore   are  surely  subject  to  be  approached  not 

®— — — — ■ ® 


® ® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE.  53 

"lightly,"  but  "reverently,  advisedly,  soberly,  and  in 
the  fear  of  God." 

And  where  shall  we  begin  this  investigation?  It 
is  the  glory  of  our  Church,  that  she  refers  every  thing 
to  the  decision  of  Scripture.  Her  Sixth  Article  de- 
clares most  explicitly — "  Holy  Scripture  containeth 
all  things  necessary  to  salvation  :  so  that  whatsoever 
is  not  read  therein,  nor  may  be  proved  thereby,  is  not 
to  be  required  of  any  man,  that  it  should  be  believed 
as  an  article  of  faith,  or  be  thought  requisite  or  ne- 
cessary to  salvation."  To  this  tribunal  then  let  us 
go  in  the  settlement  of  the  important  subject  now  be- 
fore us,  viz.,  the  authority  for  the  Episcopal  form  of 
Church  government.  Let  us  turn  at  once  "  to  the 
law  and  to  the  testimony,"  and  make  our  first  in- 
quiry, What  says  the  Word  of  God  ?  What  do  we 
learn  from  its  pages  w-ith  regard  to  the  government 
of  that  Church,  which  our  Lord  and  his  Apostles  in 
their  day  established  ? 

The  first  thing  is — to  set  plainly  before  you 
what  we  believe  to  be  the  truth  on  this  subject,  and 
in  what  respects  we  differ  from  the  various  denomina- 
tions around  us.  We  contend,  then,  that,  in  accord- 
ance with  directions  given  by  our  Lord,  His  Apostles, 
acting  under  the  direct  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
established  a  Church,  having  a  ministry  of  three 
orders,  and  which  ministry  has  been  continued  by 
their  successors  down  to  the  present  time.  These 
three  orders  were,  1st,  the  Apostles — called  in  the 
following  age,  the   Bishops ;  2d,  the  Presbyters,  or 

®— ® 


® — — ® 

54  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE. 

elders ;  and  3d,  the  Deacons.  We  contend,  also,  that 
there  is  no  instance  of  ordination  recorded  in  Scrip- 
ture, as  being  performed  by  any  except  the  Apostles, 
or  others,  as  Timothy  or  Titus,  who  had  been  invest- 
ed by  them  with  the  authority  of  Bishops  ;  in  other 
words,  that  there  is  no  instance  any  where  of  mere 
Presbyters  ordaining.  And  we  believe,  also,  that  this 
remained  an  established  rule  of  the  Church,  never 
violated  for  more  than  1500  years,  until  at  the  Reform- 
ation in  the  sixteenth  century,  when  some  bodies  of 
Christians,  who  had  separated  from  the  Church,  pro- 
ceeded to  ordain  ministers  by  the  hands  of  mere 
priests  or  Presbyters.  We  therefore  require  in  those 
who  officiate  at  our  altars,  that  they  should  be  Epis- 
copally  ordained,  that  is,  that  they  should  be  ordained 
by  some  Bishop,  who  has  derived  his  authority  from 
those  Bishops  who  went  before  him  in  the  Church,  in 
uninterrupted  succession  since  the  Apostles'  days." 
This  is  the  doctrine  of  the  Apostolical  succession. 

On  the  other  hand,  those  who  deny  the  ne- 
cessity of  Episcopal  government  assert,  that  the 
Apostles  of  the  Early  Church  left  no  successors 
— that  it  is  not  necessary  for  ordination  to  be  per- 
formed by  a  Bishop — that  there  is  but  one  order  of 
ministers  in  the  Church,  that  of  Presbyters — and  that 
these  have  a  right,  by  their  own    authority,  to  ordain 

a  "  No  man  shall  be  accounted  or  taken  to  be  a  lawful 
Bishop,  Priest,  or  Deacon,  in  this  Church,  except  he  hath 
had  Episcopal  Consecration  or  Ordination."  Preface  to  the 
Ordinal. 

® ® 


® ® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE.  55 

and  admit  to  the  ministry.  Such  then  is  the  divid- 
ing line  between  us,  and  to  decide  which  view  is  right, 
and  most  in  accordance  with  the  government  of  the 
Primitive  Church,  we  must  refer  to  the  intimations 
given  in  Scripture,  and  the  testimony  of  History  in 
the  earliest  ages  of  our  faith. 

The  first  argument,  then,  we  would  advance,  is 
the  analogy  to  he  drawn  from  the  nature  of  the  minis- 
try in  the  Jewish  Church.  The  Church  in  all  ages  is 
the  same,  only  developing  itself  at  one  time  in  a  great- 
er maturity  than  it  had  done  under  the  dispensation 
which  preceded  it.  In  this  way  we  may  interpret  the 
illustration  used  by  St.  Paul,  in  the  xi.  of  Romans, 
where  he  compares  the  Church  to  an  olive  tree,  from 
which,  when  the  appointed  time  had  come,  some 
branches,  (that  is,  the  Jews,)  were  broken  off,  and 
the  wild  olive  tree,  (that  is,  the  Gentile  nations,)  was 
grafted  in. 

If  indeed  we  look  at  the  different  dispensations,  we 
shall  find  that  each  one  was  but  an  expansion  of  the 
last — elevating  man  to  a  higher  stage  of  religious 
truth  than  he  had  before  enjoyed.  Thus,  the  Jewish 
dispensation  was  an  advance  as  compared  with  the 
Patriarchal — while  the  Christian  Church  is  but  the 
continuation — the  ripening — the  fuller  development  of 
the  Jewish.  All  things  in  the  Mosaic  economy  were 
but  preparatory  to  things  in  the  Christian  dispensa- 
sation,  and  typical  of  them.  Therefore  it  was,  that 
each  was  prescribed  by  God  Himself  with  such  dis- 
tinctness, and  the  direction  given — "  See  that  thou 

®— ® 


® — ® 

56  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE. 

make  all  things  according  to  the  pattern  showed  to 
thee  in  the  mount.'"'  Look,  then,  how  one  thing  an- 
swers to  another.  There  were  sacrifices  in  the  Jewish 
Church,  but  these  were  only  intended  to  shadow  forth 
the  one  great  Sacrifice  of  our  Lord.  The  rite  of 
entrance  into  the  former  Church  was  circumcision, 
but  in  the  latter,  Baptism  took  its  place.  The  Pass- 
over, in  the  old  dispensation,  commemorated  the  deliv- 
erance of  the  people  of  Israel  from  the  bondage  of 
Egypt,  and  at  the  same  time  pointed  forward  to  the 
Lamb  of  God.  But  this  was  set  aside  by  our  Lord, 
when  He  substituted  in  place  of  it  the  Sacrament  of 
His  Supper,  which  in  the  Christian  Church  was  to 
commemorate  the  greater  deliverance  which  He  had 
wrought  out  from  a  more  fearful  bondage.  Thus, 
you  may  perfectly  draw  the  parallel  between  the  two 
Churches,  and  you  will  find,  as  we  remarked,  that  the 
one  is  only  the  continuation  of  the  other,  modified  by 
the  clearer  light  which  had  beamed  upon  the  world. 
The  difference  is,  that  in  the  former,  they  looked  for- 
ward to  an  expected  Saviour — while,  in  the  latter,  we 
look  back  to  this  Saviour  who  has  already  come. 

Now  let  us  turn  to  the  ministry,  and  see  how  the 
analogy  holds  good  in  this  case.  We  find  that,  in  the 
Jewish  Church,  God  Himself  instituted  a  priesthood, 
consisting  of  three  orders,  viz.,  the  High  Priest,  the 
ordinary  Priests,  and  the  Levites.  These,  through  all 
ages,  were  the  only  authorized  teachers  of  the  nation 

b  Heb.  viii.  5. 

0 ® 


_ ® 

EPISCOPACY  PROVED  FROM  SCRIPTURE.     57 

— the  only  ones  permitted  to  offer  sacrifice  in  behalf 
of  the  people.  Should  we  not  then  naturally  expect, 
that  when  the  Christian  ministry  took  the  place  of 
this  priesthood,  it  would  be,  like  every  thing  else, 
conformed  in  some  degree  to  the  ancient  model  1 
Such  would  be  our  reasonable  supposition,  and  we 
find  it  realized.  In  the  early  Church — as  its  condi- 
tion is  learned  both  from  Scripture  and  History — we 
recognize  everywhere  the  traces  of  a  three-fold  min- 
istry— Bishops,  Priests  and  Deacons. 

See,  too,  how  strictly,  under  the  old  Dispensation, 
the  Priesthood  was  guarded  from  the  intrusion  of  those 
who  could  not  enter  it  by  regular  descent  from  the 
family  of  Aaron.  "No  man" — writes  the  Apostle  in 
his  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews — "  taketh  this  honor  unto 
himself,  but  he  that  is  called  of  God,  as  was  Aaron." 
In  every  case,  the  most  fearful  punishment  awaited 
those  who  ventured  to  discharge  its  sacred  duties  with- 
out having  been  thus  regularly  commissioned.  Such 
was  the  case  with  Korah  and  his  company.  In  that 
spirit  w^hich  prevails  so  extensively  at  this  day,  they 
raised  their  voices  against  the  authorized  ministers  of 
the  Sanctuary,  and  in  language  the  very  counterpart 
of  which  we  too  often  hear  around  us,  proclaimed 
themselves  to  be  as  good  as  those  whom  God  had  com- 
missioned, and  therefore  authorized  to  assume  the 
duties  of  the  priesthood.  "  They  gathered  themselves 
together  against  Moses  and  against  Aaron,  and  said 
unto  them.  Ye  take  too  much  upon  you,  seeing  all  the 
congregation  are  holy,  every  one  of  them,  and  the  Lord 

® _ ® 


® ® 

58  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE. 

is  among  them  :  wherefore  then  lift  ye  up  yourselves 
above  the  congregation  of  the  Lord  ?"  But  mark  the 
reply  of  Moses — "  Hear,  I  pray  you,  ye  sons  of  Levi : 
Seemeth  it  but  a  small  thing  unto  you,  that  the  God  of 
Israel  hath  separated  you  from  the  congregation  of 
Israel,  to  bring  you  near  to  Himself  to  do  the  service 
of  the  tabernacle  of  the  Lord,  and  to  stand  before  the 
congregation  to  minister  unto  them?  ....  and  seek 
ye  the  priesthood  also?""  Read,  too,  how  God  gave 
forth  His  verdict  on  this  point.  Fire  from  the  Lord 
burned  all  who  joined  in  that  act — the  earth  opened 
her  bosom,  and  swallowed  those  who  favored  them — 
while  the  breath  of  the  pestilence  was  poured  forth, 
until  it  had  destroyed  the  people  who  murmured  at 
these  judgments.'^ 

Again — we  have  another  example  of  the  same  kind 
in  King  Uzziah.    Listen  to  the  account  in  the  sacred 

c  Num.  xvi. 

d  Mr.  Percival,  in  his  "  Apostolic  Succession,"  has  para- 
phrased this  passage,  to  adapt  it  to  modern  times.  Let  it  be 
read  as  overlined,  and  the  address  might  be  made  to  some  in 
our  day  : 

Presbyters 
"  Hear,  I  pray  you,  ye  sons  of  Levi :  seemeth  it  but  a  small 
Son  of  God 
thing  unto  j'ou  that  the    God  of  Israel  hath  separated  you 

Christian  people 
from  the  congregation  of  Israel,  to  bring  you  near  to  Himself 
to  do  the  service  of  the  tabernacle  of  the  Lord,  and  to   stand 

before  the  congregation  to  minister  unto  them  .'' and 

Episcopate 
seek  ye  the  Priesthood  also  .'" 

® ® 


® ® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE.  59 

record — "  When  he  was  strong,  his  heart  was  lifted 
up  to  his  destruction ;  for  he  transgressed  against  the 
Lord  his  God,  and  went  into  the  temple  of  the  Lord 
to  burn  incense  upon  the  ahar  of  incense.  And 
Azariah  the  priest  went  in  after  him,  and  with  him 
fourscore  priests  of  the  Lord,  that  were  valiant  men. 
And  they  withstood  Uzziah  the  king,  and  said  unto 
him,  '  It  appertaineth  not  unto  thee,  Uzziah,  to  burn 
incense  unto  the  Lord,  but  to  the  priests,  the  sons  of 
Aaron,  that  are  consecrated  to  burn  incense ;  go  out 
of  the  sanctuary  ;  for  thou  hast  transgressed  ;  neither 
shall  it  be  for  thine  honor  from  the  Lord  God.'  Then 
Uzziah  was  wroth,  and  had  a  censor  in  his  hand  to 
burn  incense ;  and  while  he  was  wroth  with  the 
priests,  the  leprosy  even  rose  up  in  his  forehead  be- 
fore the  priests  in  the  house  of  the  Lord,  from  beside 
the  incense  altar.  And  Azariah  the  chief  priest,  and 
all  the  priests,  looked  upon  him,  and  behold,  he  was 
leprous  in  his  forehead,  and  they  thrust  him  out  from 
thence ;  yea,  himself  hasted  also  to  go  out,  because 
the  Lord  had  smitten  him.  And  Uzziah  the  king 
was  a  leper  unto  the  day  of  his  death,  and  dwelt  in 
a  several  house,  being  a  leper  ;  for  he  was  cut  off 
from  the  house  of  the  Lord."^  Thus,  you  perceive, 
that  he  entered  the  sanctuary  an  unaccredited  priest, 
and  came  forth  smitten  with  the  plague  of  leprosy. 

And  do  you  think,  that  for  fifteen  centuries  God 
thus  carefully  guarded  the  priesthood,  and  by  fearful 


e  2Chron.  xxvi.  16—21. 


-® 


® ® 

60     EPISCOPACY  PROVED  FROM  SCRIPTURE. 

judgments  taught  His  people,  that  none  could  be 
numbered  with  it  except  they  received  the  privilege 
by  direct  succession,  and  then,  as  soon  as  His  Church 
had  expanded  into  a  nobler  form,  did  He  leave  this 
subject  totally  unsettled?  Did  He  give  no  authority, 
as  in  old  time,  to  be  transmitted  down  by  descent? 
Did  He,  instead  of  sending  authorized  heralds  who 
bore  the  terms  of  peace,  do  what  no  earthly  monarch 
would  have  done,  permit  His  rebellious  subjects  to 
appoint  their  own  messengers  to  proclaim  to  them 
His  will  ?  No,  brethren,  such  is  not  the  lesson  which 
we  learn  from  the  analogy  of  the  Jewish  priesthood. 

Neither  is  there  any  force  in  the  objection  some- 
times advanced,  that  this  argument  proves  too  much 
— that  it  would  support,  not  only  Episcopacy,  but  also 
the  Papacy.  We  are  told — "There  was  but  a  single 
Jewish  High  Priest,  and  therefore,  according  to  your 
analogy,  there  should  be  but  a  single  Bishop.  The 
ancient  Church  had  but  one  head  ;  if  then  the  princi- 
ple is  to  be  carried  out,  but  one  universal  Bishop 
should  preside  over  Christendom.  You,  therefore, 
are  sustaining  the  claims  of  the  Romanist."  A  mo- 
ment's reflection,  however,  will  show  the  futility  of 
this  objection.  There  was  but  a  single  High  Priest 
among  the  Jews,  because  that  Church  was  to  stand 
single  and  alone,  confined  in  a  great  measure  to  but 
one  land.  All  men  were  obliged  "  to  go  up  to 
Jerusalem,"  as  the  centre  of  their  faith.  But  one 
single  temple  was  allowed  to  be  built,  in  which 
sacrifices  could  be  offered.     Under  the  Christian  dis- 

® -® 


, ® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE.  61 

pensation,  however,  the  Church  assumed  a  Catholic 
character  and  form.  It  was  to  be  universal — diffused 
everywhere.  Jerusalem  could  no  longer  claim  ex- 
traordinary privileges,  as  "  the  place  where  men  ought 
to  v/orship,"  for  everywhere  "  the  true  worshippers 
could  worship  the  Father  in  spirit  and  in  truth."  That 
land  became,  under  the  new  economy,  but  a  portion 
of  the  Church,  and  as  such  had  its  Bishop — its  single 
head  and  ecclesiastical  ruler.  And  so  it  was  through- 
out the  world.  The  office  is  everywhere  one  and 
the  same,  although  from  the  extended  limits  of  the 
Church,  it  must  be  held  in  different  countries,  by 
different  and  numerous  individuals.  The  Catholic 
believer,  therefore,  in  passing  from  diocese  to  diocese, 
finds  everywhere  a  successor  of  the  Jewish  High 
Priest,  but  all  the  while  he  is  under  one  Apostolate, 
as  under  one  sky  and  sun. 

But  let  us  proceed  to  the  direct  Scripture  evi- 
dence. The  first  proof  we  advance  is — that  there  is 
a  recognition,  in  the  Acts  and  the  Epistles,  of  the  exist- 
ence of  three  orders  in  the  early  Church.  A  confusion 
is  indeed  sometimes  created  in  the  minds  of  readers, 
in  consequence  of  the  indiscriminate  use  of  the  title 
Bishop.  A  few  sentences  however  of  explanation  will 
remove  this  difficulty.  As  we  already  remarked — 
the  three  orders  of  ministers  were,  1st,  Apostles;  2d, 
Bishops  or  elders ;  3d,  Deacons.  After,  however,  the 
death  of  the  Apostles,  who  were  the  first 'Bishops, 
those  who  succeeded  to  the  Episcopal  office,  out  of 

respect  to  them  as  having  stood  nearest  to  our  Lord, 
4 
® 1 ® 


®- 


-® 


62 


EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE, 


would  not  assume  the  name  of  Apostles,  although  they 
inherited  their  authority.  They  therefore  took  the 
name  of  Bishops,  leaving  those  in  the  second  rank  of 
the  ministry  to  be  called,  as  before.  Elders  or  Pres- 
byters— and  the  third,  to  retain  the  title  of  Deacons. 
Thus  it  is  that  the  early  historian,  Theodoret,  gives 
the  history  of  this  change  of  name.  "  The  same  per- 
sons were  anciently  called  promiscuously  both  Bishops 
and  Presbyters,  whilst  those  who  are  now  called 
Bishops,  were  called  Apostles.  But  shortly  after,  the 
name  of  Apostles  were  appropriated  to  such  only  as 
were  Apostles  indeed ;  and  then  the  name  Bishop  was 
given  to  those  who  before  were  called  Apostles.'" 
Thus,  he  says,  that  Epaphroditus  was  the  Apostle  of 
the  Philippians,  and  Titus  the  Apostle  of  the  Cretians, 
and  Timothy  the  Apostle  of  the  Asiatics.  And  this 
he  repeats  in  other  places.^ 

The  ancient  writer  under  the  name  of  St.  Am- 
brose, asserts  the  same  thing.  "  They  who  are  now 
called  Bishops,  were  originally  called  Apostles.  But 
the  holy  Apostles  being  dead,  they  who  were  ordain- 
ed after  them  to  govern  the  Churches,  could  not  arrive 
to  the  excellency  of  these  first,  nor  had  they  the  tes- 
timony of  miracles,  but  were  in  many  other  respects 
inferior  to  them.  Therefore  they  thought  it  not  de- 
cent to  assume  to  themselves  the  name  of  Apostles, 
but  dividing  the  names,  they  left  to  Presbyters  the 
name  of  the  Presbytery,  and  they  themselves  were 

f  Theodoret,  Com.  in  1  Tim.  3,  1. 
g  Ibid.  Cora,  in  Phil.  1,  1,  and  2,  25. 


®- 


® 


EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE.  63 

called  Bishops.''  Here,  you  perceive,  is  a  full  explana- 
tion of  the  change.  The  name  however  is  a  matter 
of  no  importance.  It  is  the  office  and  the  authority 
for  which  we  contend.  We  only  wish  to  prove,  that 
there  was  a  grade  of  ministers  higher  in  rank  than 
the  Elders  or  Presbyters.' 

h  Bingham's  Orig.  Eccles.  lib.  ii.  c.  2,  sec.  1. 

i  If  a  more  familiar  illustration  of  this  change  of  title  may 
be  allowed,  we  would  give  the  following.  Suppose  that 
Washington  had  been  elevated  to  the  office  of  Chief  Magis- 
trate over  this  country,  with  the  name  of  Dictator,  while  the 
highest  magistrate  in  each  state  was  called,  indiscriminately. 
President  or  Governor.  We  will  imagine  also  that  the  suc- 
cessors of  Washington,  although  placed  in  office  with  exactly 
the  same  powers,  out  of  respect  to  hiin  as  the  Pater  Patrick 
would  not  assume  the  same  title.  They  therefore  took  the 
name  of  President,  leaving  that  of  Governor  to  be  still  borne 
by  the  magistrate  of  each  state.  Would  this  change  make 
any  difference  in  the  office  itself,  or  render  it  difficult  for  us  to 
prove,  that  those  who  in  1785  were  called  Presidents  or  Gov- 
ernors, held  the  same  office  with  those  now  called  Governors  ? 
Or  would  any  one  deny,  on  account  of  the  change  of  name, 
that  he  who  is  now  called  the  President  of  the  United  States 
holds  the  same  office  which  his  first  predecessor  held  under 
the  title  of  Dictator  ? 

Bishop  H.  U.  Onderdonk  has  given  an  admirable  expla- 
nation, drawn  from  Scripture.  "  The  word  '  Sabbath'  is  ap- 
plied in  Scripture  to  only  the  Jewish  day  of  rest;  by  very 
coTnmoTi  M5e,  however,  it  means  the  Lord's  day.  Now,  '  <Ae 
Sabbath'  is  abolished  by  Christianity,  and  the  observance  of 
it  discountenanced  ;  yet  ministers  of  Christian  denominations 
are  constantly  urging  their  Christian  flocks  to  keep  '  the  Sab- 
bath.' Does  any  confusion  of  mind  result  from  this  confusion 
of  names?    We  suppose  not.    All  concerned  understand,  that 

® — ® 


® ® 

64  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE. 

Now  turn  to  the  Acts,  and  you  will  find  every 
where  recognized  the  three  orders,  Apostles,  Elders, 
and  Deacons.  The  first  chapter  contains  an  account 
of  the  election  of  Matthias,  as  Apostle,  that  he  might 
"  take  the  bishopric"  of  Judas.  In  the  fourteenth 
chapter,  we  are  told  the  Apostles  "  ordained  them 
Elders  in  every  Church  ;"  and  in  the  sixth  chapter,  is 
the  record  of  the  selection  of  seven  men  "  full  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  and  of  wisdom,"  on  whom  "  the  Apos- 
tles laid  their  hands,"  and  thus  appointed  them  Dea- 
cons. In  several  places  "  Apostles  and  Elders"  are 
mentioned  as  distinct  classes  of  ministers.^  Nor  can  it 
be  said,  that  the  Elders  here  referred  to  were  laymen, 

in  Scripture  the  word  means  the  Jewish  Sabbath,  while  out 
of  Scripture  the  same  word  is  constantly  applied  to  the  Chris- 
tian Sabbath.  Let  the  same  justice  be  done  to  the  word 
'  Bishop.'  In  Scripture,  it  means  a  Presbyter,  properly  so 
called.  Out  of  Scripture,  according  to  the  usage  next  to  uni- 
versal of  all  ages  since  the  sacred  canon  was  closed,  it  means 
that  sacerdotal  order,  higher  than  Presbyters,  which  is  found 
in  Scripture  under  the  title  of  Apostle.'  When  a  Christian 
teacher  who  enjoins  the  observance  of  the  day  which  he  calls 
'  the  Sabbath,'  is  asked  for  his  New  Testament  authority,  he 
has  to  exclude  all  the  passages  which  contain  that  word,  giv- 
ing them  a  different  application,  and  go  to  other  passages  which 
do  not  contain  it;  and  he  agrees  that  he  seeks  the  thing,  not 
the  name.  And  when  we  Episcopalians  are  asked  for  in- 
spired authority  for  '  Bishops,'  we  do  the  very  same  ;  we  give 
a  different  application  to  the  passages  which  contain  that 
word,  and  build  on  other  passages,  which  teach  the  fact  of 
the  existence  of  Episcopacy,  without  that  aj5^eZZa<iora."  Epis- 
copacy Examined,  p.  13. 

j  Acts  XV.  2,  4,  6,  22,  and  xvi.  4. 

® ® 


® ® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE.  65 

for  these  also  are  carefully  distinguished  in  some  pas- 
sages, as  being  again  a  class  distinct  from  the  other 
two.  The  statement  made  is,  "  Apostles,  Elders,  and 
brethren."* 

And  so  it  is  in  the  Epistles.  Take  a  single  in- 
stance in  which  all  the  orders  of  the  ministry  are 
mentioned  together.  We  refer  to  that  salutation  with 
which  the  Epistle  to  the  Philippians  opens — "  Paul 
and  Timotheus,  the  servants  of  Jesus  Christ,  to  all 
the  saints  in  Christ  Jesus,  which  are  at  Philippi,  with 
the  Bishops  and  Deacons."  Here  are  certainly  three 
orders  of  ministers — the  two  Apostles,  Paul  and  Tim- 
othy, sending  their  salutations  to  the  Bishops  and  Dea- 
cons. Now,  change  the  titles  to  those  which  we  have 
shown  you  the  same  orders  bore  in  the  next  age,  and 
it  will  read  thus — "  Paul  and  Timotheus,  Bishops,  to 
all  the  saints  {Laity)  at  Philippi,  with  the  Elders  or 
Presbyters,  and  Deacons." 

But  let  us  proceed  to  the  main  point — the  author- 
ity exercised  by  Bishops  in  that  day,  and  see  how  en- 
tirely different  it  was  from  that  intrusted  to  the  sec- 
ond rank  in  the  ministry.  For  instance,  when  an 
Apostle  gives  a  charge  to  a  Bishop,  we  perceive  at 
once  that  he  is  addressing  "  one  having  authority,"  and 
set  to  rule  in  the  Church  of  God.  He  instructs  him 
as  to  the  manner  in  which  he  should  conduct  himself 
towards  the  presbyters  or  elders  over  whom  he  had 
been  placed.  We  shall  find,  on  the  contrary,  that 
with  these  elders  he  dwells  upon  a  totally  different 
k  Acts  xi.  1,  and  xv.  23. 
®_ — ® 


® ® 

66     EPISCOPACY  PROVED  FROM  SCRIPTURE. 

class  of  duties.  They  are  always  addressed,  and  cau- 
tioned, and  advised,  as  those  who  are  merely  pastors 
over  congregations.  There  is  no  allusion  made  to  their 
exercising  ecclesiastical  discipline,  or  admitting  others 
to  the  ministry. 

Let  me  give  you  a  striking  example  of  this.  We 
are  told  that  when  St.  Paul  was  on  his  way  to  Jeru- 
salem, having  stopped  at  Miletus,  he  sent  from  thence 
to  the  neighboring  Church,  at  Ephesus,  that  its  elders 
might  come  to  him,  and  receive  his  final  charge,  since 
"  they  should  see  his  face  no  more."  And  what  does 
he  tell  them?  why,  he  addresses  them  as  those  whose 
functions  are  entirely  pastoral,  whose  business  it  is  to 
rule,  and  feed,  and  instruct  the  flock  committed  to 
them.  He  directs  them  "  to  remember  his  warnings 
for  the  space  of  three  years" — "  to  take  heed  unto 
themselves" — "  to  take  heed  unto  the  flock  over  which 
the  Holy  Ghost  had  made  them  overseers" — "  to  feed 
the  Church  of  God" — "  to  watch  against  the  grievous 
wolves  that  would  enter  in  among  them,  not  sparing 
the  flock" — and  also  to  guard  against  "  men  who 
should  arise  among  themselves,  speaking  perverse 
things."'  This  is  the  amount  of  his  address — that  they 
should  be  vigilant  in  guarding  themselves  from  error, 
and  also  in  preserving  their  people  from  those  who 
would  inculcate  strange  doctrines.  There  is  nothing 
said  about  discipline  to  be  exercised  among  the  min- 
istry— not  a  syllable  about  one  having  authority  over 
another  to  depose  him — not  an  intimation  that  any 
1  Acts  XX.  17—35. 
® ® 


® _ ® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE.  67 

one  among  them  had  power  to  ordain.  It  is  in  fact, 
precisely  the  kind  of  charge  which  any  Bishop  in  this 
day  might  deliver  to  his  clergy,  to  warn  them  to  be 
faithful  in  the  discharge  of  their  pastoral  duties. 

Now  mark  the  contrast  in  the  Apostle's  language, 
when  he  writes  to  Timothy,  at  this  same  Church  in 
Ephesus.  Timothy  was  a  young  man,  probably 
younger  than  most  of  the  elders  at  Ephesus,  for  St. 
Paul  charges  him — "  let  no  man  despise  thy  youth," 
— and  yet  every  line  of  the  Apostle's  letter  proves, 
that  Timothy  was  invested  with  Episcopal  authority 
over  these  same  presbyters.  The  Epistle  is  not  in- 
tended to  guide  him  in  any  pastoral  connection  with 
his  flock,  but  rather  to  instruct  him  as  to  the  manner 
in  which  he  should  rule  over  the  elders.  Every  thing, 
for  example,  is  addressed  to  him  personally,  and  in 
the  singular  number,  as  being  something  in  which  the 
others  could  not  share  :  "  This  charge  I  commit  unto 
thee,  son  Timothy" — "these  things  write  I  unto  thee, 
that  thou  raightest  know  how  to  behave  thyself  in  the 
house  of  God" — "  if  thou  put  the  brethren  in  remem- 
brance of  these  things."™ 

Look  at  the  directions  with  regard  to  his  exercising 
ecclesiastical  discipline.  "  That  thou  mightest  charge 
some  that  they  teach  no  other  [that  is,  no  false]  doc- 
trine"— "  against  an  elder  receive  not  an  accusation, 
but  before  two  or  three  witnesses" — "  them  [that  is, 
the  Elders  thus  accused]  that  sin,  rebuke  before  all, 

m  1  Tim.  i.  18;  iii.  14,  15;  iv.  6. 

® ® 


® ® 

68  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE. 

that  others  also  may  fear" — "  I  charge  thee ^  that  tJwu 
observe  these  things,  [these  rules  for  the  regulation 
and  discipline  of  the  clergy,]  without  preferring  one 
before  another^  doing  nothing  by  partiality." " 

See,  again,  the  rules  given  him  with  respect  to  or- 
dinations. The  third  chapter  of  the  first  epistle  is 
taken  up  with  describing  qualifications,  for  which  he 
should  look  in  those  who  are  to  be  admitted  to  the 
ministry.  Thus,  he  says,  that  the  deacons  "  must  first 
be  proved;  then  let  them  use  the  office  of  a  deacon, 
being  found  blameless  " — "  the  deacons  must  be  grave, 
not  double-tongued,  not  given  to  much  wine,  not 
greedy  of  filthy  lucre,  holding  the  mystery  of  the 
faith  in  a  pure  conscience  " — "  they  that  have  used 
the  office  of  a  deacon  well,  purchase  to  themselves  a 
good  degree"  —  "literally,"  says  Dr.  Bloomfield,, 
"  obtain  an  honorable  post  or  step,  that  is,  a  higher 
degree,  viz.,  of  Presbyter  or  Bishop."" 

In  the  same  way,  the  proper  qualifications  of  a 
presbyter  are  given — "  A  Bishop  [elder  or  presbyter] 
must  be  blameless,  the  husband  of  one  wife,  vigilant, 
sober,  of  good  behavior,  given  to  hospitality,"  &lc. 
These  descriptions  are  to  guide  him  in  observing  the 
directions  afterwards  given — "  lay  hands  suddenly 
on  no  man  "'' — and  again — "  the  things  which  thou 
hast  heard  of  me,  the  same  commit  thou  to  faithful 
men,  who  shall  be  able  to  teach  others  also."'' 

n  1  Tim.i.  3;  v.  19,20,21. 

o  Bloomfield's  Greek  Test,  in  loco. 

p  1  Tim.  V.  22.  q  2  Tim.  ii.  2. 

®— ^ ® 


® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE.  69 

Now,  I  would  ask,  if,  as  we  are  told,  Timothy 
was  not  a  successor  of  the  Apostles,  but  only  a  Pres- 
byter, and  a  young  Presbyter  too,  what  right  had  he 
to  be  "  receiving  accusations  "  against  his  brother 
presbyters,  and  "  rebuking  them  before  all  ?"  How 
could  these  things  be,  if  all  ministers  were  equal  in 
the  early  Church  1  or,  is  it  in  accordance  with  human 
nature,  that  the  elders  of  the  Church  at  Ephesus 
should  thus  have  submitted  to  the  rule  of  one  of  their 
own  number,  evidently,  too,  their  junior  in  years  ? 
On  the  Presbyterian  scheme  of  Church  government, 
I  cannot  understand  what  was  the  position  of  Timothy 
in  the  Church,  or  his  relative  situation  with  regard 
to  those  who  were  in  the  ministry  with  him.  These 
Epistles  are  to  me,  in  this  case,  a  sealed  book.  But 
look  at  the  page  of  Ecclesiastical  History,  where  we 
are  told  that  Timothy  was  the  first  Apostle  or  Bishop 
of  Ephesus,"^  and  all  is  plain.  Then,  I  see  the  mean- 
ing of  every  direction  given  by  St.  Paul.  Totally 
out  of  place  as  they  would  be,  if  written  to  a  mere 
presbyter,  they  at  the  same  time  compose  exactly  the 
kind  of  charge  which,  in  this  day,  an  aged  Bishop  of 
the  Church  might  write  to  one  who  was  younger  in 
the  Episcopate,  that  he  might  know  how  to  act  to- 
wards the  clergy  of  his  diocese. 

Look   at  another  example,  equally  striking — that 

r  Eusebius,  lib.  iii.  c.  4.     "  Timothy  is  recorded  as  having 

first  received  the  Episcopate  at  Ephesus."     Also  Chrvsos- 

tom,  Horn.  1,  in  Philip.      Jerome,   Catal.    Scrip,  in  Tim. 

Theodore  Com.  in  1  Tim.  iii.  1. 

4* 
® — CS) 


® __ — 

70  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE. 

of  Titus.  He,  says  Eusebius,  "  was  appointed  over 
the  Churches  in  Crete;"  and  all  ancient  writers  unite 
in  making  the  same  assertion.^  It  is  certainly  con- 
firmed most  fiilly  by  the  Epistle,  in  which  St.  Paul 
addresses  him  as  one  invested  with  Episcopal  au- 
thority. He  writes  to  him — "  For  this  cause  left 
I  thee  in  Crete,  that  thou  shouldest  set  in  order  the 
things  that  are  wanting,  and  [that  thou  shouldest] 
ordain  elders  in  every  city,  as  I  had  appointed  thee." 
He  then  goes  on  to  describe,  as  we  have  already 
seen  him  doing  to  Timothy,  what  qualities  Titus 
should  require  in  one  who  was  to  be  ordained — "  for 
a  bishop  [elder  or  presbyter]  must  be  blameless,  as 
a  steward  of  God,  not  self-willed,  not  soon  angry," 
&c.'  And  he  afterwards  directs — "  a  man  that  is  an 
heretic,  after  the  first  and  second  admonition  [do 
thou]  reject.""  Here  is  certainly  full  Episcopal  au- 
thority— ordination — admonition — rejection  or  degra- 
dation—  all  committed  to  Titus  personally.  We 
know,  from  history,  that  there  were  many  Churches 
in  Crete.  Why,  then,  when  the  field  was  the  world, 
and  men  were  so  much  wanted  to  publish  the  Gospel 
elsewhere  amid  the  darkness  of  heathenism,  was 
Titus  withdrawn,  and  sent  to  spend  his  life  in  this 
island,"  if  any  of  the  elders  there  could  ordain  as  well 
as  he  ?  or  allowing  that  at  first  there  were  not  enough 

s  Eusebius,  Chrysostom,  and  Theodoret,  as  cited  above, 
Jerome  Catal.  Scrip,  in  Tit. 

t  Titus  i.  5.  u  iii  10. 

V  Cave's  Lives  of  the  Fathers,  i.  ]28. 

® ® 


® ® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE.  71 

there  for  tliat  purpose,  why  must  he  ordain  elders  in 
every  city?  After  doing  so  in  one  or  two  cities, 
could  not  they  be  left  to  keep  up  the  succession  ?  It 
would  be  difficult,  indeed,  to  find  an  answer  to  these 
questions  on  the  Presbyterian  scheme.  The  only 
solution  is,  that  Titus  could  ordain  by  right  of  his 
authority  as  Bishop,  and  the  others  could  not.  Yet 
this  is  Episcopacy. 

Let  us  now  turn  to  the  address  made  to  "  the  an- 
gels" of  the  Seven  Churches  of  Asia.  In  each  of  these 
Churches — as  for  example,  Ephesus  and  Smyrna — 
history  tells  us  there  were  many  congregations  and 
Elders.  Yet  the  warnings  and  admonitions  are  not 
written  to  these  Elders,  nor  to  the  Church  collectively, 
but  to  the  "  angel"  or  chief-officer.  There  was  evi- 
dently some  one  presiding  over  the  spiritual  welfare  of 
each  of  those  Churches,  who  was  held  personally  an- 
swerable for  it.  Look,  for  example,  at  that  written  to 
the  angel  of  the  Church  at  Ephesus.  Here  we  find 
that,  in  the  year  96,''  its  chief  officer  is  evidently  exer- 
cising the  same  discipline  over  the  clergy,  in  investi- 
gating and  rejecting  their  claims,  which  was  ascribed 
to  his  predecessor  Timothy,  thirty  years  before.     The 

w  St.  John  was  banished  to  Patmos  in  the  latter  part  of 
Domitian's  reign,  and  returned  to  Ephesus  upon  Nerva's  suc- 
ceeding to  the  empire,  which  was  in  96.  This  book  was 
written  while  still  in  the  island.  Irensus,  speaking  of  the 
vision,  says — "  It  was  not  very  long  ago  that  it  was  seen, 
being  but  a  little  before  our  time,  at  the  latter  end  of  Domi- 
tian's reign." 

® • ® 


® • — ( 

72     EPISCOPACY  PROVED  FROM  SCRIPTURE, 

address  to  him  is — "  Thou  hast  tried  them  which  say 
they  are  Apostles,  and  are  not,  and  hast  found  them 
liars."  And  so  it  is  with  all  these  Churches.  "  I 
know  thi/  works/'  is  the  announcement  to  the  ruler 
of  each  one.  We  might  copy  the  greater  part  of  the 
second  and  third  chapters,  in  proof  of  what  we  have 
asserted.  "  And  [thou]  hast  borne,  and  hast  had  pa- 
tience, and  for  my  name's  sake  [thou]  hast  labored, 
and  hast  not  fainted  " — "  thou  hast  left  thy  first  love" 
— "  remember  from  whence  thou  art  fallen" — "  thou 
boldest  fast  my  name" — "  I  have  set  before  thee  an 
open  door" — "  thou  hast  a  little  strength,  and  hast 
kept  my  word" — "  I  have  a  few  things  against  thee" — 
"  because  thou  hast  there,^  them  that  hold  the  doctrine 
of  Balaam" — "  thou  sufTerest  that  woman  Jezebel  .  .  . 
to  teach,"  &/C. — "  i^  thou  shaltnot  watch,  I  will  come 
on  thee  as  a  thief" — "  thou  art  neither  hot  nor  cold" 
— "  be  [thou]  watchful,  and  strengthen  [thoti]  the 
things  that  remain" — "  hold  fast  that  which  thou  hast." 
And  such  is  the  tenor  of  these  seven  Epistles.  There 
is  no  intimation  anywhere  given,  that  the  Elders  of  the 
Churches  shared  in  this  responsibility,  for  which  their 
chief-ruler  is  so  pointedly  addressed. 

That  these  seven  angels  were  the  Diocesan  Bishops 
of  the  Churches,  is  indeed  a  fact  so  fully  proved  from 
early  history,  that  it  would  seem  to  be  almost  beyond 
contradiction.  All  the  early  fathers  assert  it.  "  So 
say  Irenaius,  Clemens  of  Alexandria,  Eusebius,  Am- 
brose, and  others.  That  Polycarp  was  then  Bishop  of 
Smyrna,  is  testified  by  Irenseus,  who  knew  him  well ; 

® ■ — — ® 


® — _ ® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE.  73 

by  Ignatius  ;  by  Polycrates,  Bishop  of  Ephesus,  who 
calls  him  Bishop  and  niarlyr  in  Smyrna;  by  Eusebius  ; 
by  Tertullian  ;  by  Jerome  ;  and  by  all  antiquity.  And 
Ignatius  names  Onesimus,  as  Bishop  of  Ephesus,  when 
he  wrote,  which  was  but  about  twelve  years  after  the 
inditing  of  these  Epistles.  It  being  then  so  evident, 
that  one  of  those  to  whom  St.  John  writes,  under  the 
name  o{  Angel,  was  Polycarp,  Bishop  of  Smyrna,  and 
most  probably,  another,  Onesimus,  Bishop  of  Ephesus, 
we  may  be  sure  that  all  the  rest  were  Bishops  of  their 
respective  Churches,  as  well  as  Polycarp  and  Onesi- 
mus."" 

So  evident  indeed  is  this  truth,  that  some  of  the 
leading  writers  on  the  Presbyterian  side  of  the  ques- 
tion, have  felt  themselves  obliged  to  acknowledge  it. 
Such  is  the  case  with  the  learned  Blondel,  in  his 
"  Apology,"  which  was  written  at  the  earnest  request 
of  the  Westminster  Assembly  of  Divines.  He  con- 
tends that  the  Angels  of  these  seven  Churches  were 
"  exarchs  or  chief  governors,"  who  were  superior  in 
office  to  the  other  clergy,  holding  their  places  for  life, 
and  indeed  so  superior,  that  "  the  acts  of  the  Church, 
whether  glorious  or  infamous,  were  imputed  to  those 
exarchs."  And  this,  he  says,  is  necessary  to  be 
maintained,  otherwise  the  difficulties  are  insuperable. 

So  also  Dr.  Campbell,  President  of  Marischal  Col- 
lege, Aberdeen,  is  forced  to  make  concessions,  from 
which  he  evidently  shrinks.     He  remarks — "  But  one 

X  Dr.  Bowden's  Letters,  Vol   I.  p.  118. 

® — ® 


® ® 

74  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE. 

person,  called  the  Angel  of  that  Church,  is  addressed 
in  the  name  of  the  whole.  .  .  .  Shall  we  affirm,  that 
by  the  angel  is  meant  the  Presbytery  V  With  this 
interpretation,  he  declares  himself  dissatisfied.  He 
concludes,  at  last,  that  it  means  one  who  had  a  kind  of 
presidency  over  the  rest,  derived  from  the  model  of 
the  Jewish  Sanhedrim.^  So  difficult  is  it,  to  evade 
the  natural  explanation,  or  rather,  so  eager  are  men 
to  adopt  any  theory  which  may  enable  them  to  escape 
the  argument,  that  in  the  Apostolic  days  each  Church 
had  its  chief  ruler.'' 

y  Campbell's  Lect.  on  Eccles.  Hist.,  Lect.  V.  p.  82. 

z  Dr.  Miller  of  Princeton,  in  his  despair  has  resorted  to 
the  amusing  explanation  that  the  Angel  was  only  the  Mode- 
rator of  the  Presbytery.  We  cannot  forbear  giving  Dr.  Bow- 
den's  reply  to  this  theory.  "  When  our  Lord  blamed  and 
threatened  the  Angel  of  the  Church  of  Sardis,  might  he  not 
have  said,  'Lord,  why  blamest  thou  me.''  I  have  no  more 
authority  in  thy  Church  in  this  city  than  other  Presbyters. 
We  do  every  thing,  as  thou  well  knowest,  by  a  plurality  of 
votes,  and  those  Presbyters  who  wish  for  a  majority,  for  the 
purpose  of  beginning  the  work  of  reformation,  have  not  yet 
been  able  to  obtain  it.  I  need  not  tell  thee,  that  I  am  no 
more  than  the  Moderator  of  the  Presbytery,  appointed  to 
count  their  votes  and  keep  order.  Upon  what  dictate,  then, 
of  reason,  upon  what  principle  of  justice,  am  I  to  be  blamed 
for  the  defects  and  corruptions  in  the  Church  .'  As  a  Mode- 
rator, I  have  no  relation  whatever  to  the  Church;  my  rela- 
tion is  entirely  to  the  Presbytery,  and  there  I  have  but  a  cast- 
ing vote.  What  then  can  I  do  .?  Why  am  I  addressed  in  par- 
ticular, and  threatened  with  excision,  unless  I  repent .'  For  my 
personal  faults,  I  humbly  beg  forgiveness  ;  but  I  cannot  pos- 
sibly acknowledge  any  guilt  as  the  governor  of  this  Church, 

® ® 


® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE.  75 

There  is  but  one  more  fact  which  we  will  briefly 
notice.  It  is,  as  we  have  already  mentioned,  a  favor- 
ite declaration  of  our  opponents,  that  the  thirteen 
Apostles  were  the  only  ones  holding  that  office,  and 
that  they  left  no  successors.  And  yet,  we  find  St. 
Paul  referring  to  "  false  apostles,"  (ipsLduTToaToXoi-Y 
There  were  therefore  some,  even  in  his  day,  who 
assumed  that  office,  and  pretended  they  were  called 
to  the  highest  rank  in  the  ministry.  Now,  as  we  can- 
not suppose  that  they  endeavored  to  pass  themselves 
off  for  any  of  the  thirteen  who  were  first  called,''  it  is 

when  I  bear  no  such  character.'  Might  not  the  Angel  of 
Sardis  have  addressed  Christ  with  the  strictest  propriety  in 
this  manner?  And  does  not  this  show  how  utterly  inconsis- 
tent your  scheme  of  Church  government  is  with  these  Epis- 
tles .'" — Letters,  Vol.  I.  p.  117. 

a   2  Cor.  xi.  13. 

b  Bishop  H.  U.  Onderdonk  has  thus  clearly  illustrated 
this  point.  "  That  it  was  infinitely  improbable  that  the  '  false 
apostles  '  pretended  to  be  of  the  original  twelve  or  thirteen, 
will  appear  from  such  considerations  as  these  : — There  are 
sixteen  of  our  Bishops  in  the  United  States,  [this  was  written 
in  1835,]  but  never  has  it  been  attempted  to  counterfeit  the 
person  of  any  of  them,  either  at  home  or  abroad.  So,  of  the 
twenty-six  Bishops  and  Archbishops  in  England — of  the 
nineteen  Bishops  and  Archbishops  in  Ireland — and  of  the  six 
Bishops  in  Scotland.  We  may  add  the  same  remark,  as  far 
as  we  recollect,  of  all  the  Bishops  in  the  Christian  world. 
Persons  have  feigned  to  be  Bishops,  as  in  the  case  of  West, 
and  perhaps  the  Greek  mentioned  in  the  accounts  of  Mr. 
Wesley  ;  but  none  have  counterfeited  the  persons  of  other 
Bishops — if  otherwise,  the  cases  are  so  rare  and  so  obscure, 

® 


@ ® 

I 

76  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE. 

evident  that  the  office  itself  must  have  been  widely 
known  in  the  Church,  and  their  pretence  was,  that 
they  had  received  it.  Still  stronger  is  the  inference 
which  may  be  drawn  from  that  warning  which  St. 
John  gives,  against  "  them  which  say  they  are  Apos- 
tles, and  are  not.""  At  this  time  St.  John  was  well 
known  to  be  the  sole  survivor  of  the  thirteen.  Could 
any  impostor,  therefore,  have  attempted  to  counterfeit 
the  person  of  one  of  his  colleagues  who  had  been  in- 
vested with  that  office  by  our  Lord  Himself?  The  want 
of  age  would  at  once  have  revealed  the  deception.  At 
this  time  more  than  sixty  years  had  passed  since  our 
Lord's  ascension,  and  he  who  was  once  the  youngest 
of  that  little  band,  was  now  among  them  in  the  feeble- 
ness of  extreme  old  age.  St.  John,  too,  would,  in  that 
case,  have  stated,  that  no  Apostle  but  himself  was 
then  living,  and  this  would  have  set  all  such  claims  at 

as  not  to  affect  this  illustration  of  our  argument.  What  the 
impostors  mentioned  in  Scripture  claimed  was,  to  be  apostles 
or  bishops  in  their  own  persons,  not  in  the  persons  of  any  of 
the  thirteen.  Of  course  the  Apostleship  was  not  confined  to 
these  last. 

"  Our  fellow-citizens  generally  will  perhaps  see  more 
clearly  the  force  of  this  analogy,  in  another  case.  There  are 
twenty-four  governors  of  States  in  our  Union.  In  no  instance 
has  it  occurred,  that  any  man  has  pretended  to  be  one  of  these. 
The  same  may  probably  be  said  of  all  our  magistrates  of  the 
higher  grades.  So  clear  is  it,  that  the  '  false  apostles  '  would 
not  have  pretended  to  be  of  the  original  thirteen  who  held 
that  office — and  so  clear,  that  others  besides  the  thirteen  were 
made  Apostles — many  others."  Episcopacy  Examined,  p.  275. 

c  Rev.  ii.  2. 

® ® 


_ ® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE.  77 

rest  forever.  This  very  attempt,  then,  shows  that 
there  were  many  apostles  besides  the  original  thirteen, 
and  that  the  Apostolic  office  itself  was  extensively 
recognized  in  the  Church.  These  passages  alone, 
therefore,  refute  the  Presbyterian  argument,  that  the 
office  expired  with  its  original  holders. 

Let  us  now,  before  closing  this  subject,  briefly 
notice  some  of  the  usual  objections  advanced  by  those 
who  diffijr  from  us. 

I.  One  is — that  Paul  and  Barnabas  received  an 
ordination  only  from  Presbyters.  In  the  beginning 
of  Acts  xiii.  is  this  passage  :  "  Now  there  were  in 
the  Church  that  was  at  Antioch,  certain  prophets  and 
teachers ;  as  Barnabas,  and  Simeon  that  was  called 
Niger,  and  Lucius  of  Cyrene,  and  Manaen,  which 
had  been  brought  up  with  Herod  the  Tetrarch,  and 
Saul.  As  they  ministered  to  the  Lord,  and  fasted, 
the  Holy  Ghost  said.  Separate  me  Barnabas  and  Saul 
for  the  work  whereunto  I  have  called  them.  And 
when  they  had  fasted  and  prayed,  and  laid  their  hands 
on  them,  they  sent  them  away."  This,  we  are  told, 
was  their  ordination.  We  reply — this  could  not  be, 
for  they  were  "  prophets  and  teachers  "  before,  and 
employed  in  "  ministering  to  the  Lord."  They  are 
placed  on  an  exact  footing  with  the  other  three.  If 
the  three,  therefore,  were  in  orders,  so  were  Paul  and 
Barnabas.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  Paul  and  Barnabas 
were  laymen,  then  the  other  three  were  also  ;  and  if  an 
ordination  at  all,  it  was  performed  by  laymen.  These 
two  brethren  were  in  truth  in  this  way  merely  com- 

$)_ ® 


® _® 

78  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE, 

mended  to  a  special  missionary  work,  on  which  they 
immediately  set  out,  and  at  the  completion  of  which 
we  are  explicitly  told — "  And  thence  they  sailed  to 
Antioch,  from  ivhence  they  had  been  recommended  to 
the  grace  of  God  for  the  loorlc  lohicli  they  fulfilled."^ 
St.  Paul  himself  disclaims  any  human  ordination, 
and  says,  that  he  is  "  an  Apostle,  not  of  men,  neither 
by  man,  but  by  Jesus  Christ  and  God  the  Father."" 
He  had,  indeed,  previous  to  this  been  on  a  mission  to 
Tarsus  and  Cilicia,  (Acts  ix.  30,  and  Gal.  i.  21,) 
where,  as  Prof  Burton  has  shown, "^  he  founded  the 
Churches  which  he  afterwards  (Acts  xv.  41)  revisited 
in  company  with  Barnabas.  Bishop  Whittingham  has 
well  compared  this  transaction  in  Acts  xiii.  to 
"  a  farewell  missionary  meeting,  in  which  persons 
previously  ordained  presbyters  or  bishops,  receive 
jurisdiction  in  the  mission  to  which  they  have  been 
appointed."" 

11.  Again,  it  is  said — Timothy  did  not  receive 
Episcopal  ordination.  This  inference  is  drawn  from 
St.  Paul's  address  to  him — "  Neglect  not  the  gift  that 
is  in  thee,  which  was  given  thee  by  prophecy,  with 
the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the  presbytery. "^^ 
Timothy,  therefore,  we  are  told,  was  ordained  to  his 
office  in  the  ministry  by  the  hands  of  a  body  of  Elders. 
We  reply — first,  it  is  not   clear  by  any  means,  that 

d    Acts  xiv.  26-  e    Gal.  i.  1. 

f  Lect.  on  Hist,  of  Ch.  in  first  Cent.  p.  135,  147,  158. 
g   Note  to  Palmer's  Treatise  on  the  Ch.  v.  ii.  p.  391. 
h   1  Tim.  iv.l4. 

® ■ (2) 


® ® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE.  79 

the  word  here  translated  presbytery ,  does  not  refer 
to  the  office  conferred,  and  not  to  the  persons  who 
conferred  it.  In  that  case  it  would  read  thus — "  with 
the  laying  on  of  hands  to  confer  the  presbyterate  or 
presbytership."  Such  was  the  opinion  of  Jerome, 
Ambrose,  Eusebius,  and  Socrates,  among  the  ancients, 
and  Grotius,  Calvin,  and  many  of  the  leading  Pres- 
byterian writers  among  the  moderns.' 

But,  second,  even  allowing  that  it  does  refer  to 
persons,  we  find  St.  Paul  in  another  place  claiming 
Timothy's  ordination  as  performed  by  himself.  He 
writes  to  him — "  Stir  up  the  gift  of  God,  which  is  in 
thee  by  the  putting  on  of  my  hands. "^  We  can  easily, 
however,  reconcile  the  two  passages.  It  has  been 
customary,  in  all  ages  of  the  Church,  when  a  Bishop 
laid  his  hands  upon  the  head  of  an  individual  to 
elevate  him  to  the  office  of  the  priesthood,  that  Pres- 
byters who  were  there  should  unite  with  him  in  that 
act,  in  token  of  their  concurrence.  Might  not  this 
have  been  the  case  at  Timothy's  ordination?  St. 
Paul  conferred  that  office  on  him,  the  presbyters  also 
"  laying  on  their  hands."  If  we  critically  examine 
these  two  passages,  we  shall  find  that  the  words  se- 
lected clearly  point  out  the  different  shares  of  the 

i  See  many  of  these  quoted  by  Bishop  Onderdonk,  in 
Episcopacy  Examined,  p.  19 — 22,  193 — 196.  Dr.  Miller, 
finding  his  great  authority,  Calvin,  against  him  on  this  point, 
says,  that  for  interpreting  the  word  office,  "  he  deserves 
nothing  but  ridicule."  (p.  58, 1st  Edit.) 
j  2  Tim.  i.  6. 

® ® 


(S) ® 

80  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE. 

ordaining  apostle  and  the  consenting  presbyters.  He 
was  ordained,  St.  Paul  tells  us,  "  hy  {8iu)  the  putting 
on  of  my  hands,"  "  ivith  (^fTw)  the  laying  on  of 
the  hands  of  the  presbytery."  Such  is  the  acknow- 
ledgment of  Dr.  Macknight,  the  Presbyterian  com- 
mentator, when  discussing  this  text.  He  says — 
"  Since  it  appears,  from  2  Tim.  i.  6,  that  the  Apostle 
by  the  imposition  of  his  own  hands  conferred  on 
Timothy  the  spiritual  gift  here  mentioned,  we  must 
suppose  that  the  eldership  at  Lystra  laid  their  hands 
on  him  only  to  sJioiv  their  concurrence  with  the 
Apostle  in  setting  Timothy  apart  to  the  ministry  by 
prayer." 

HI.  Again,  another  objection  is — that  Deacons 
were  not  in  the  ministry,  but  merely  laymen  appointed 
to  distribute  the  contributions  made  for  the  poor.'' 

k  We  copy  the  following  passage  from  a  Review  of 
Episcopacy  tested  hy  Scripture,  in  the  Biblical  Repository. 
"  It  is  plain  that  the  '  order  of  deacons,'  as  one  of  the  'three 
orders  of  clergy'  for  which  our  Episcopal  brethren  contend, 
cannot  stand  the  test  of  Scripture.  It  must  undoubtedly  be 
given  up,  if  we  would  be  governed  by  the  Word  of  God. 
Deacons  there  undoubtedly  were  in  the  Apostolic  Church  ; 
but  they  were  evidently  curators  of  the  poor,  and  attendants 
on  the  tables  of  the  Church  ;  precisely  such  as  were  found 
in  the  Jewish  synagogues,  before  the  coming  of  Christ,  and 
such  as  are  found  in  all  completely  organized  Presbyterian 
churches  at  the  present  day.  And  this  continued  to  be  the 
nature  of  the  office  for  several  hundred  years  after  the 
Apostolic  age.  But  when  a  spirit  of  carnal  ambition  began 
to  reign  in  the  Church,  and  led  ecclesiastical  men  to  aspire 
and  encroach,  deacons  invaded  the  province  of  preachers, 

® ® 


® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE.  81 

In  reply,  we  say,  first,  that  the  whole  testimony  of 
Scripture  is  against  this  view.  If  this  had  been  only 
a  secular  office,  why  did  they  require,  not  merely 
integrity,  honesty,  and  piety,  but  the  highest  spiritual 
qualifications?  They  were  to  be  "  men  full  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  and  of  wisdom,"  and  Stephen  is  described 
as  a  man  "full  of  faith  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 
This  requirement  of  the  noblest  gifts  seems  to  point 
to  something  more  elevated  than  the  mere  distribu- 
tion of  alms,  in  which  there  would  be  no  field  for  the 
exercise  of  such  lofty  qualities.  The  same  inference 
may  be  drawn  from  the  First  Epistle  to  Timothy, 
where  the  Apostle  instructs  him  in  the  qualifications 
necessary  for  that  office,  one  of  which  is — "  holding 
the  mystery  of  the  faith  in  a  good  conscience." 

But,  second,  we  learn  their  ministerial  character  also 
from  the  duties  they  performed.  As  soon  as  Stephen 
was  ordained,  we  are  told  that,  "  full  of  failh  and  power, 
he  did  great  wonders  and  miracles  among  the  people," 
and  that  he  preached  also,  is  evident  from  the  fact, 
that  his  enemies  first  disputed  with  him,  (vi.  9,)  and 
then  "  suborned  men,  which  said,  we  have  heard  him 
speak  blasphemous  words  against  Moses,  and  against 
God,"  (vi.  11.)  Similar  to  this  was  the  conduct  of 
Philip,  another  of  the  newly  ordained  deacons.  After 
the  persecution  in  Jerusalem,  he  "  went  down  to  the 
city   of  Samaria,   and  preached  Christ  unto  them," 

and  committed  to  '  sub-deacons,'  the  burden  of  their  primitive 
duties." 

® ® 


® ® 

82     EPISCOPACY  PROVED  FROM  SCRIPTURE. 

(viii.  5.)  "  And  they  believed  Philip,  ^reacAm^  the 
things  concerning  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  the  name 
of  Jesus  Christ,"  (viii.  12.)  He  afterwards  went  to 
Arotus,  and  ^'preached  in  all  the  cities,  till  he  came 
to  Cesarea,"  (viii.  40.)  You  perceive,  then,  how 
utterly  unfounded  is  the  assertion,  (which  we  have 
just  quoted  from  the  Biblical  Repository,)  that  it  was 
"  several  hundred  years  after  the  Apostolic  age," 
before  deacons  began  to  preach,  or  as  it  is  there 
expressed,  "  to  invade  the  province  of  preacher." 
Deacons  also  baptized.  Philip  ^'baptized"  those  at 
Samaria,  "  who  believed,  both  men  and  women," 
(viii.  12.)  He  baptized  Simon  Magus,  (viii.  13.)  and 
afterwards  the  Eunuch  of  Ethiopia,  (viii.  38.)  Here, 
then,  we  find  them  preaching  and  baptizing.  Are 
these  the  duties  of  a  layman?' 

1  We  consider  the  above  examples  amply  sufficient  to  re- 
fute the  objection  advanced  against  the  ministerial  character 
of  deacons,  and  as  the  lecture  is  intended  to  prove  our  posi- 
tions from  Scripture,  we  have  drawn  our  evidence  from  this 
source  alone.  We  add,  however,  in  this  note  a  few  extracts 
from  the  early  fathers,  showing  the  view  of  the  Church  in 
that  day.  Poiycarp  says,  that  Deacons  are  "  ministers  of 
God,  not  of  men,"  (sect.  5.)  Ignatius,  in  his  Epistle  to  the 
Magnesians,  says — "Deacons  are  intrusted  with  the  ministry 
of  Jesus  Christ,"  (sect.  6.)  In  the  Epist.  to  the  Trallians, 
he  says,  "Deacons  are  the  ministers  of  the  mysteries  of  Jesus 
Christ  ....  for  they  are  not  the  ministers  of  meat  and 
drink,  [that  is,  of  this  only,]  but  of  the  Church  of  God," 
(sect.  2.)  The  following  passage  in  his  Epist.  to  Philad.  is 
conclusive.     Speaking  of  his  bereaved  Church  at  Antioch, 

® ® 


® _ — ® 

EPISCOPACY  PROVED  FROM  SCRIPTURE.     83 

Now  it  is  precisely  on  this  model — to  discharge  the 
duties  of  the  Primitive  deacons — that  these  ministers 
are  ordained  in  our  Church  at  this  day.  Let  us  see 
the  statement  made  in  the  ordinal  in  the  Prayer  Book, 
and  compare  it  with  the  record  of  the  early  Church. 
We  are  told — "  It  appertaineth  to  the  office  of  a  Dea- 
con, in  the  Church  where  he  shall  be  appointed  to 
serve,  to  assist  the  priest  in  divine  service,  and  spe- 
cially when  he  ministereth  the  Holy  Communion,  and 
to  help  him  in  the  distribution  thereof."  This,  Bing- 
ham tells  us,  was  anciently  their  duty,  as  he  shows 
from  the  Apostolical  Constitutions  and  Jerome,  that 

he  says — "  It  will  become  you,  as  the  Church  of  God,  to 
ordain  some  deacon  to  go  to  them  thitlier  as  the  ambassador 
of  God;  that  he  may  rejoice  with  them  when  they  meet 
together,  and  glorify  God's  name.  Blessed  be  that  man  in 
Jesus  Christ,  who  shall  be  found  worthy  of  such  a  ministry," 
(sect.  10.) 

Tertullian  declares — "  The  highest  priest,  who  is  the 
Bishop,  has  the  right  of  baptizing.  After  iiim,  the  presbyters 
and  deacons,  not  however  without  the  permission  of  the 
bishop,  on  account  of  the  honor  of  the  Church."  Cooke's 
Inval.  ofPres.  Ord.  §  183. 

The  74th  Apostolic  Canon  says — "  Let  a  bishop,  or  pres- 
byter, or  rfcacow,  engaged  in  war  ....  be  deposed."  But 
if  a  deacon  was  merely  a  layman,  to  discharge  duties  like 
our  churchwardens,  why  might  he  not  engage  in  war.'  This 
canon  evidently  shows  that  there  was  a  sacredness  in  his 
office  which  had  a  ministerial  character. 

Bingham,  in  his  Orig.  jEcc/es.  lib.  ii.  ch.  20,  has  given  a 
full  discussion  of  this  subject,  with  an  account  of  the  duties 
discharged  by  deacons  in  the  early  church. 

® 


® ® 

84  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE. 

they  should  read  parts  of  the  service."  They  were  not 
allowed  to  consecrate  the  Eucharist,"  but  only  to  as- 
sist in  its  distribution."  And  in  the  Constitutions 
there  is  one  passage  which  declares  it  to  be  the  office 
of  the  Bishop  to  deliver  the  bread  to  each  communi- 
cant, and  that  of  the  Deacon  to  deliver  the  cup.''  The 
same  rule  which  we  now  have. 

The  ordinal  continues — "  and  to  read  Holy  Scrip- 
tures and  Homilies  in  the  Church."  In  early  times 
it  was  the  Deacon's  duty  always  to  read  the  Gospel, 
and,  in  some  churches,  other  parts  of  Scripture ;  and 
the  Council  of  Vaison  authorized  Deacons  to  read  the 
Homilies  of  the  ancient  Fathers  in  the  absence  of  a 
Presbyter,  assigning  this  reason  for  it :  "  If  the  Dea- 
cons be  worthy  to  read  the  Discourses  of  Christ  in 
the  Gospel,  why  should  they  not  be  thought  worthy  to 
read  the  expositions  of  the  ancient  Fathers.'"' 

"  And  to  instruct  the  youth  in  the  Catechism." 
In  the  early  Church  there  was  a  distinct  office  of 
Catechist,  the  duty  appertaining  to  which  was,  that 
of  instructing  the  Catechumens  in  the  first  principles 
of  religion,  and  preparing  them  for  the  reception  of 
baptism.  This  office  was  however  sometimes  filled 
by  a  Deacon.  Thus,  St.  Augustine  wrote  his  book 
De  Catechizandis  Rudihus,  at  the  request  of  Deogra- 

m  Orig.  Eccles.    lib.  ii.  ch.  20.  sec.  6. 

n  Ibid.  sec.  8. 

o  Ibid.  sec.  7. 

p  Constit.  Apost.  lib.  viii.  c.  13. 

q  Bing.  lib.  ii.  ch.  20. 

® : ® 


® ® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE.  85 

tias,  deacon  of  Carthage,  who  was  a  Catechist  there, 
to  assist  him  in  the  performance  of  his  duties/ 

"  In  the  ahsence  of  the  priest  to  baptize  infants." 
We  have  already  seen,  that  Philip  the  deacon  baptiz- 
ed at  Samaria,  and  elsewhere.  Tertullian  too,  in  the 
passage  we  quoted  in  the  note,  shows  that  they  have 
the  right,  "  but  not  without  the  permission  of  the 
Bishop."  Bingham  proves  the  same  thing  from  St. 
Cyril  and  Jefc?me.^ 

And  "  to  preach,  if  he  be  admitted  thereto  by  the 
Bishop."  We  have  also  shown  our  warrant  for  this 
from  Scripture,  "  They  had  power  to  preach,"  says 
Bingham,  "  by  license  and  authority  from  the  Bishop, 
but  not  without  it."    Many  proofs  of  which  he  records.' 

"  And  furthermore,  it  is  his  office,  where  provi- 
sion is  so  made,  to  search  for  the  sick,  poor,  and  im- 
potent people  of  the  parish,  to  intimate  their  estates, 
names,  and  places  where  they  dwell,  unto  the  Curate, 
that  by  his  exhortation  they  may  be  relieved  with 
the  alms  of  the  parishioners."  Here  also  we  closely 
follow  Scripture.  We  find  too  in  the  Apostolical 
Constitutions,  it  is  mentioned  as  part  of  the  duty  of  a 
Deacon — "  That  he  should  inform  his  Bishop,  when 
he  knows  any  one  to  be  in  distress,  and  then  distribute 
to  their  necessities  by  the  directions  of  the  Bishop."" 

Such  were  the  deacons  of  Scripture  and  the  Primi- 

r  Bingham,  lib.  iii.  ch.  10,  sec.  1. 
8  Ibid.  lib.  ii.  ch.  20,  sec.  9. 
t  Ibid.  sec.  11. 
u  Constit.  Apos.  lib.  iii.  c.  19. 

5 

® 


® ^® 

86  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE. 

tive  Church.  From  the  view  given  we  must  leave  it 
to  our  readers  to  decide,  whether  or  not  they  were 
admitted  to  the  ministry,  and  which  bear  the  closest 
resemblance  to  the  deacons  of  Apostolic  times — those 
ordained  to  the  office  in  our  Church,  by  the  form 
from  which  we  have  just  quoted — or  the  laymen  call- 
ed by  that  name  in  the  different  denominations 
around  us. 

IV.  Another  objection  is — that  the  proof  of  Epis- 
copacy which  we  derive  from  Scripture  is  incidental 
in  its  character.  This  is  true ;  but  in  reply,  we 
would  say,  there  are  two  reasons  why  the  testimony 
is  of  this  nature.  The  first  is,  because  we  find  it  prin- 
cipally in  Epistles,  where  things  are  not  generally  so 
formally  stated,  but  much  is  left  to  be  supplied  by  the 
previous  knowledge  of  the  one  who  receives  the 
Epistle.  Mr.  Locke,  when  referring  to  another  sub- 
ject, has  well  stated  this  point — "  The  nature  of 
Epistolary  writings  in  general,  disposes  the  writer  to 
pass  by  the  mentioning  many  things,  as  well  known 
to  him  to  whom  his  letter  is  addressed,  which  are  ne- 
cessary to  be  laid  open  to  a  stranger,  to  make  him 
comprehend  what  is  said  ;  and  it  not  seldom  falls  out, 
that  a  well-penned  letter,  which  is  very  easy  and  in- 
telligible to  the  receiver,  is  very  obscure  to  a  stranger, 
who  hardly  knows  what  to  make  of  it.  The  matters 
St.  Paul  writ  about,  were  certainly  things  well  known 
to  those  he  writ  to,  and  which  they  had  a  peculiar 
concern  in  ;  which  made  them  easily  apprehend  his 
meaning,  and  see  the  tendency  and  force  of  his  dis- 

® ® 


® ® 

EPISCOPACY  PROVED  FROM  SCRIPTURE.     87 

course.  But  we,  having  now,  at  this  distance  of 
time,  no  information  of  the  occasion  of  his  writing, 
little  or  no  knowledge  of  the  temper  and  circumstan- 
ces those  were  in  he  writ  to,  but  what  is  to  be  gathered 
out  of  the  Epistles  themselves;  it  is  not  strange  that 
many  things  ia  them  lie  concealed  to  us,  which,  no 
doubt,  they  who  were  concerned  in  the  letter,  under- 
stood at  first  siofht.'" 


V  Essay  for  the  understanding  of  St.  Paul's  Epistles, 
Works,  V.  iii.  p.  102.  We  find  the  following  excellent 
familiar  illustration  of  this  point  in  Chapin's  Prim.  Church. 
•'We  will  suppose  a  man,  born  and  educated  in  one  of  the 
Soutli  Sea  Islands,  who  has  grown  up  without  any  communi- 
cation with,  or  knowledge  of,  any  civilized  nation.  Put  into 
the  hands  of  such  a  man,  the  Military  Correspondence  of  Gen- 
eral Washington,  during  the  Jlmerican  Revolution,  and  re- 
quire him,  from  that  alone,  to  determine  the  organization  of 
the  American  army  ;  and  you  would  certainly  impose  upon 

him  a  task  of  no  small  magnitude Yet,  such  a  man, 

under  such  circumstances,  would  be  situated  very  much  as 
we  are,  when  attempting  to  determine  the  entire  Constitu- 
tion of  the  Apostolic  Church,  from  Scripture  only.  This 
will  be  evident  upon  slight  reflection,  for  it  will  not  be  be- 
lieved for  a  moment,  that  General  Washington,  when  writ- 
ing to  men  who  were  as  familiar  with  the  organization  of  the 
army  as  himself,  would  enter  into  a  detail  of  facts,  with  which 
he  knew  them  to  be  perfectly  conversant ;  nor  is  there  any 
greater  reason  for  believing,  that  the  Apostles  would  give  a 
detailed  account  of  the  organization  and  order  of  the  Churches 
they  had  established,  when  writing  to  the  members  of  those 
very  Churches.  The  nature  of  the  evidence  in  the  two  cases 
is  therefore  similar  ;  and  what  would  be  proof  of  the  Con- 
stitution  of  the  American  army,  to  a  South   Sea  Islander, 

® ® 


® ® 

88     EPISCOPACY  PROVED  FROM  SCRIPTURE.       ^ 

The  second  reason  for  our  gleaning  this  merely 
from  incidental  allusions,  arises  from  the  fact,  that  all 
the  instructions  of  our  Lord  and  His  Apostles  were  of 
course  not  fully  written  out.  The  inspired  men  to 
whom  this  work  was  committed,  recorded  only  great 
general  truths.  Had  they  pursued  a  different  course, 
"  even  the  world  itself  could  not  contain  the  books 
that  should  be  written."  '  And  it  is  evident  why  this 
particular  truth — the  Apostolic  succession — is  only 
mentioned  incidentally.  It  is  because  at  that  time  it 
was  not  controverted.  There  is  therefore  only  an  oc- 
casional allusion  to  it  as  an  established  regulation.  It 
is  precisely  in  the  same  way  that  we  learn,  females 
are  to  be  admitted  to  the  Eucharist,  or  that  the  ob- 
servance of  the  Sabbath  is  changed  from  the  seventh 
day  to  the  first.  Many  who  receive  and  believe  the 
latter  truth,  profess  to  trace  it  to  Scripture,  and  yet 
reject  the  doctrine  of  the  Apostolic  succession,  which 
is  established  there  with  double  the  evidence. 

V.  Another  objection  is — that  the  first  Apostles 
only  were  appointed  to  their  office  hy  the  ertraordinary 
designation  of  the  Son  of  God.  We  are  told,  that 
obedience  was  for  this  reason  due  to  them,  but  even  if 
they  had  handed  down  their  office,  their  successors 
would  not  have  the  same  claim  from  the  want  of  this 
miraculous  sanction  to  their  authority.  In  reply,  we 
would  ask,  what  there  is  which  is  not  at  its  commence- 

situated  as  we  have  supposed,  must  be  proof  to  us  of  the 
Constitution  of  the  Apostolic  Church."     pp.  20,  21. 
w  John  xxi.  25. 

®-_ ® 


® ® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE.  89 

ment  miraculous,  and  yet  in  its  continuance  loses  this 
character  ?  Would  not  this  objection  have  applied 
with  equal  force  to  the  Jewish  High  Priests  ?  The 
first  who  held  that  office  was  miraculously  appointed, 
but  afterwards  it  was  left  to  be  handed  down  by  the 
succession  of  human  instruments.  Yet  who  doubts 
that  the  last  who  ministered  at  the  altar  had  every 
claim  to  reverence  which  Aaron  himself  possessed, 
fifteen  centuries  before?  On  this  point  we  will  quote 
the  striking  analogy  used  to  illustrate  it,  by  one  of  our 
own  Bishops. 

"  The  beginning  of  the  grass  of  the  field  was  mi- 
raculous— by  the  instant  and  immediate  mandate 
of  God.  It  was  created  in  full  maturity.  But  its 
succession  was  provided  for  by  no  such  measure.  The 
grass,  and  the  herb,  and  the  fruit  tree  were  furnished 
with  the  means  of  a  succession  by  ordinary  laws,  each 
having  '  seed  in  itself,  after  its  kind.'  Thus  also 
with  man.  The  head  of  the  human  race  was  created 
by  the  immediate  hand  of  God ;  but  the  succession, 
from  that  moment  to  the  end  of  time,  was  provided 
for  by  laws' of  ordinary  nature.  But  we  hold  it  to  be 
no  arrogance  to  say  of  any  man,  though  the  lowest 
of  his  kind,  that  he  has  succeeded  to  the  nature  of  the 
miraculously  created  first  man  ;  nor  to  say  of  the 
herb  of  the  field,  that  though  it  be  but  the  offspring  of 
the  little,  familiar  seed  in  the  ground,  which  sprang 
and  grew  by  an  ordinary  law,  and  a  human  planting 
and  rearing,  it  is  nevertheless,  in  all  the  essentials  of 
its  nature,  the  successor  in  an   unbroken   line  of  de- 

® ® 


® ® 

90  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE. 

scent,  of  the  herb  which  on  the  third  day  of  the  world 
sprang  into  maturity  at  the  wonderful  fiat  of  the  Al- 
mighty. I  know  not  that  the  man  or  the  herb,  is 
any  less  a  man  or  an  herb,  or  any  the  less  descend- 
ed from  the  miraculous  beginnings  of  the  creation, 
because  the  laws  of  growth  were  but  ordinary,  and 
the  intermediate  agency  of  production  was  but  hu- 
man. And  so  I  know  not  that  a  minister  of  the 
Gospel  is  any  the  less  a  successor  of  the  first  Apos- 
tles, because,  instead  of  receiving  his  authority,  like 
them,  immediately  from  Christ,  it  has  come  to  him  by 
the  intermediate  communication  of  a  chain,  fastened 
at  its  beginning  upon  the  throne  of  God,  and  pre- 
served as  inviolate,  as  the  line  of  the  descent  of 
Adam,  or  the  succession  of  seed-time  and  harvest,  of 
day  and  night,  of  summer  and  winter.  I  know  not  that 
this  day  is  not  a  true  day,  and  strictly  a  successor  of 
that  very  day  when  first  the  sun  appeared ;  though 
that,  you  know,  was  made  by  the  sudden  act  of  God 
suspending  the  sun  in  the  skies,  and  this  arose  by 
the  ordinary  succession  of  the  evening  and  the  morn- 
ing. The  beginning  of  every  institution  4>f  God  must 
of  necessity  be  extraordinary;  its  regular  continu- 
ance, ordinary.  So  with  the  course  of  Providence  in 
all  its  branches.  What  is  now  an  ordinary  Provi- 
dence, was  once  an  extraordinary.  What  began 
with  miracle,  is  continued  by  laws  of  familiar  nature. 
And  so  it  is  with  the  ministry  of  the  Gospel.  What 
was  created  by  the  direct  ordination  of  God,  is  pro- 
pagated and  continued  by  the  authorized  ordination  of 

® — ® 


® ® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE.  91 

men.  Its  '  seed  is  in  itself,  after  its  kind,'  and  at 
every  step  of  the  succession  it  is  precisely  the  same 
ministry  and  just  as  much  of  God,  sanctioned  by  His 
authority,  and  sustained  by  His  power,  as  if  it  had 
been  received  from  the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  Christ 
Himself  And  so  with  the  office  of  the  Apostles. 
It  was  the  promise  of  Christ,  the  Lord,  that  it 
should  continue  to  the  end  of  the  world.  It  is  not 
more  sure  that  sun  and  moon,  seed-time  and  har- 
vest will  continue  to  the  end  of  the  world  ;  and  though 
its  succession  be  now  in  the  hands  of  very  feeble  and 
fallible  men — of  men  unspeakably  inferior  to  the 
Apostles  in  every  personal  and  official  qualification  ; 
yea,  though  many  Iscariots  be  found  under  its  awful 
responsibilities,  the  integrity  of  the  office,  as  essen- 
tially identical  with  that  of  the  Apostles,  is  in  no  wise 
affected." ' 

Here  then  is  a  brief  view  of  the  argument  for  Epis- 
copacy, as  derived  from  Scripture.  We  contend, 
indeed,  that  the  whole  tenor  of  the  Acts  and  the  Epis- 
tles sustains  the  fiict  of  there  being  three  orders  in 
the  ministry,  and  a  degree  of  authority  committed  to 
those  of  the  first  rank — whether  you  call  them  Apos- 
tles or  Bishops,  is  immaterial — which  those  of  the 
other  two  grades  did  not  possess.  Thus  then  the 
early  Church  was  constituted.  Our  Lord  left  not 
His  flock  without  its  Chief-Shepherds.  While  ordi- 
nary priests  and  teachers  were  appointed,  there  were 

X  Bishop  Mcllvane's  Sermon,  at  the  Consecration  of 
Bishop  Polk,  p.  17. 

® ® 


® ® 

92  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROBI    SCRIPTURE, 

also  leaders  in  "the  sacramental  host  of  God's  elect." 
And  in  that  day  the  office  of  a  Bishop  was  often  but 
a  passport  to  the  flames  and  the  stake.  It  obliged 
those  who  bore  it  to  stand  in  the  very  first  rank^ 
where  trials  were  to  be  encountered,  and  to  endure  a 
double  portion  of  painful  sacrifices.  They  were  to 
be  "  examples  of  suffering,  affliction,,  and  of  patience." 
And  nobly  did  they  fulfil  the  hig^h  duties  imposed 
upon  them,  treading  in  the  footsteps  of  their  Master, 
even  to  prison  and  to  death.  The  blood  of  her  mar- 
tyred Bishops  was  the  seed  of  the  Church.  They  were 
the  first  marks  at  which  the  enemy  aimed,  and  there- 
fore the  record,  of  their  cruel  sufferings  contains  often 
the  history  of  those  early  persecutions  which  fell  upon 
the  fold.  In  bearing  the  Cross  loftily  before  the 
Christian  host,  they  were  worthy  successors  of  those 
Apostles  whose  office  they  had  inherited. 

When,  therefore,  these  had  passed  away,  bequeath- 
ing their  authority  to  others,  have  we  a  right  to  set  it 
aside,  as  no  longer  binding  1  If  the  Episcopal  form  of 
government  was  thus  established  in  Apostolic  days,  can 
we  depart  from  it  1  Are  we  not  justified  in  cleaving 
to  it,  and  insisting  on  it,  as  it  has  been  handed  down 
to  us  for  eighteen  centuries  ?  Yes — nothing  can 
change  the  order  of  the  ministry  but  a  new  and  direct 
revelation  from  Heaven.  It  can  be  done  by  no  hu- 
man authority.  We  are  contented  then  not  to  try 
experiments  in  things  which  God  hath  settled.  The 
well-worn  path  is  before  us,  and  we  will  not  wander 
from  it.     If  the  Rechabites  were  blessed,  because 

® : ® 


® <l) 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    SCRIPTURE.  93 

they  reverenced  antiquity,  and  walked  in  the  way 
which  had  been  marked  out  for  them  in  distant  ages/ 
is  it  not  well  for  us,  as  a  Christian  Church,  to  imbibe 
their  steadfast  and  unchanging  spirit? 

Two  voices  are  striving  to  enlist  our  attention. 
The  one  rises  up  from  those  around  us — the  voice  of 
this  present  age,  as  "  emulous  of  change,"  it  invites 
us  to  novelties,  and  points  out  unnumbered  paths, 
untried  and  unknown,  in  which  we  are  exhorted  to 
walk.  It  is  a  fitful  voice,  ever  varying,  ever  altering 
its  tones.  The  other  falls  calmly,  yet  solemnly,  upon 
the  ear.  It  comes  down  from  the  years  of  a  dim  and 
distant  antiquity,  and  every  generation  has  heard  it, 
from  the  first  founding  of  the  Church  until  now.  It 
bids  us  cleave  to  the  faith  of  the  Apostles  and  martyrs. 
Its  accents  are  unchanged  from  age  to  age.  The 
former,  is  the  voice  of  erring,  fickle  man.  The  lat- 
ter is  the  voice  of  God.     "Which  shall  we  heed  ? 

y  Jer.  xxxv. 


5* 
® ® 


® ® 


EPISCOPACY  PROVED  FROM  HISTORY. 


Throughout  the  older  word,  story  and  rite — 

Throughout  the  new,  skirting  all  clouds  with  gold- 
Through  rise  and  full,  and  destinies  manifold 

Of  pagan  empires — through  tlie  dreanis  and  night 

Of  nature,  and  the  darkness  and  the  light, 

Still  young  in  hope,  in  disappointment  old — 
Through  mists  \v1iich  fall'n  humanity  enfold, 

Into  the  vast  and  viewless  infinite, 
Rises  th'  Eternal  City  of  our  God. 

TTie  CathedraL 


® ® 


®- 


-® 


III. 


EPISCOPACY  PROVED  FROM  HISTORY, 


In  the  Preface  to  our  Form  for  the  ordaining  of 
Deacons  is  this  declaration — "  It  is  evident  unto  all 
men,  diligently  reading  Holy  Scripture  and  ancient 
authors,  that  from  the  Apostles'  time  there  have  been 
these  three  orders  of  ministers  in  Christ's  Church — 
Bishops,  Priests,  and  Deacons."  In  the  last  Lecture 
I  took  up  the  former  of  these  points — the  argument  de- 
rived from  Holy  Scripture — and  endeavored  to  show 
you,  as  well  as  the  narrow  limits  of  a  single  discourse 
would  admit,  that  every  allusion  there  made  to  the 
form  of  Church  Government,  proves  that  it  must  have 
been  Episcopal  in  its  nature.  On  the  present  occa- 
sion, I  propose  to  bring  forward  the  second  argument 
here  set  forth  in  the  declaration  of  the  Church — that 
derived  from  the  testimony  of  Ancient  Authors. 

Let  us  unroll  then  the  records  of  the  past,  and 
looking  away  from  the  strifes  and  vain  assertions  of 


® 


® 


® ® 

98  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY. 

"  this  ignorant  present  time,"  read  the  words  of  those, 
who  wrote  in  the  early  years  of  our  faith — who  stood 
within  that  circle  of  light  which  shed  its  radiance 
over  the  Apostolic  days — and  whose  works  have  been 
bequeathed  to  us  as  a  precious  legacy,  to  tell  how 
these  things  were  in  the  golden  days  when  schism 
was  unknown.  In  the  dim  twilight  then  of  our  know- 
ledge, we  would  repeat  that  counsel  which  Bildad 
gave  to  Job — "  Inquire,  I  pray  thee,  of  the  former 
age,  and  prepare  thyself  to  the  search  of  their  fathers  : 
(For  we  are  but  of  yesterday,  and  know  nothing,  be- 
cause our  days  upon  earth  are  a  shadow  :)  Shall  not 
they  teach  thee,  and  tell  thee,  and  utter  \*)rds  out  of 
their  heart  ?"'' 

The  argument  then  to  be  presented  is  this — that 
all  writers  of  the  first  three  centuries,  who  describe  in 
any  way  the  condition  of  the  Church,  in  every  hint 
they  give,  and  every  fact  they  state,  show  most  plain- 
ly, that  no  ministry  was  known  or  recognized  in  that 
day,  but  the  same  three-fold  orders  of  Bishops,  Priests, 
and  Deacons,  which  have  continued  down  even  to  us, 
in  uninterrupted  succession.  And  who  are  these 
writers  1  Men,  who  were  the  companions  and  im- 
mediate successors  of  the  Apostles — confessors  and 
martyrs,  who  poured  forth  their  blood  freely  for  that 
faith  in  which  they  had  lived — men,  whose  voices 
were  heard  proclaiming  the  doctrines  of  the  Cross  in 
every  strange  land — whose  motto    and  principle  of 

a  Chap.  viii.  8,  9,  10. 
® — — ® 


® — — — ® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY.  99 

j  action  was,  that  their  Master  must  inherit  the  earth — 
men,  whose  virtues  were  too  heroic,  and  their  aims 
too  lofty,  to  be  fully  comprehended  in  these  degene- 
rate days — and  on  the  record  of  whose  self-denying 
labors  we  now  look  back,  as  upon  a  vision  of  past 
beauty  which  has  faded  from  the  earth,  and  for  whose 
return  we  scarcely  dare  even  to  hope.  Are  their  words, 
then,  as  they  come  down  to  us  from  those  holy  days, 
to  be  received  only  with  doubts  and  carping  ques- 
tions ? 

And  we  think,  too,  that  the  very  manner  in  which 
they  gave  their  testimony,  increases  its  force.  They 
wrote  no  arguments  to  prove  the  nature  of  the  Apos- 
tolic ministry.  They  set  forth  no  elaborate  proofs  of 
the  constitution  of  the  Church.  These  were  truths, 
which  in  that  day  none  disputed,  and  no  formal  de- 
fence was  therefore  necessary.  We  learn  all  these 
things  incidentally,  as  they  are  brought  forward  in 
connection  with  other  features  of  the  Church,  or  the 
ordinary  instructions  by  which  they  sought  to  train  up 
in  holiness  the  people  of  their  charge.  No  writer  in 
that  age  thought  of  proving  that  the  Church  was  gov- 
erned by  Bishops,  any  more  than  he  did  of  establish- 
ing by  argument  the  fact,  that  Rome  was  governed 
by  an  Emperor,  ^and  the  provinces  by  governors  who 
were  under  him.  Both  are  merely  alluded  to  as  es- 
tablished historical  facts.  If  then  they  who  were  co- 
temporary  with  the  Apostles,  and  they  who  for  three 
centuries  followed  them,  all  speak  of  the  three  orders 
of  the  ministry  as  being  defined  and  established  in 

® ® 


® ® 

100  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY. 

their  day,  may  we  not — adding  this  to  the  testimony 
of  Scripture — believe  that  it  was  the  divinely  con- 
stituted form  which  our  Lord  prescribed  to  His 
Church? 

Our  first  witness,  then,  is  St.  Clement.  He  was  a 
fellow-laborer  of  St.  Paul,  who  had  bestowed  upon 
him  the  noblest  commendation  language  can  frame. 
When  writing  to  the  Philippians,  the  Apostle  says — 
"  Clement  also,  and  others  my  fellow-laborers,  whose 
names  are  in  the  Book  of  Life."  Having  been  ap- 
pointed Bishop  of  Rome,  he  held  that  office  nearly 
ten  years,  until  his  martyrdom."*  The  single  Epistle 
of  his  which  is  still  extant,  was  written  to  the  Corin- 
thians, and  so  highly  was  it  esteemed  in  the  early 
Church,  that  Eusebius  (the  Ecclesiastical  Historian 
who  wrote  in  the  beginning  of  the  fourth  century) 
assures  us,  "  it  was  universally  received  by  all,"  and 
indeed  reverenced  by  them  next  to  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures, and  therefore  "  publicly  read  in  most  of  the 
Churches  for  common  benefit,  both  in  times  past  and 
also  in  his  memory."''  The  object  of  this  Epistle  is, 
to  promote  a  spirit  of  subordination  among  those  to 
whom  he  wrote,  that  no  one  should  intrude  upon  the 
office  of  such  as  were  above  him,  but  each  in  his  own 
station  discharge  his  appropriate  duties.  The  very 
language  which  he  uses,  and  the  comparisons  by  which 
he  illustrates  his  meaning,  prove  most  fully  that  in 

b  Cave's  Lives  of  tlie  Fathers,  vol.  i.  p.  157. 
c  Lib.  iii.  c.  16,  38. 

® __ ® 


® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY.  101 

that  day  "  God  in  His  wise  Providence  had  appointed 
divers  Orders  in  His  Church.'" 

For  instance,  he  says — "  Let  us  therefore  march 
on,  men  and  brethren,  with  all  earnestness  in  His 
holy  laws.  Let  us  consider  those  who  fight  under 
our  earthly  governors  ;  how  orderly,  how  readily,  and 
with  what  exact  obedience  they  perform  those  things 
that  are  commanded  them  !  All  arc  not  prefects,  nor 
tribunes,  nor  centurions,  nor  inferior  officers;  but  every 
one  in  his  respective  rank  does  what  is  commanded  him 
by  the  king,  and  those  loho  have  the  authority  over  him. 
They  who  are  great  cannot  subsist  without  those  who 
are  little,  nor  the  little  without  the  great.  But  there 
must  be  a  mixture  in  all  things,  and  then  there  will  be 
use  and  profit  too.  Let  us  for  example  take  our  body  : 
(1  Cor.  xii.  13:)  the  head  without  the  feet  is  nothing, 
neither  the  feet  without  the  head.  And  even  the  small- 
est members  of  our  body  are  yet  both  necessary  and 
useful  to  the  whole  body.  But  all  conspire  together, 
and  are  subject  to  one  common  life,  namely,  the  pre- 
servation of  the  whole  body.  Let  therefore  our  whole 
body  be  saved  in  Jesus  Christ ;  and  let  every  one  be 
subject  to  his  neighbor,  according  to  the  order  in 
which  he  is  placed  by  the  gift  of  God."    (§  37.  38.) 

Again — he  uses  that  comparison  to  the  Jewish 
priesthood,  which  was  so  common  among  the  early 
writers — "  God  has  ordained  by  His  supreme  will  and 
authority,  both  where,   and   by   what  persons,   they 

d  Prayer  in  Office  of  Institution. 
® 


® ® 

102  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY. 

[that  is,  His  services]  are  to  be  performed 

For  the  Chief  Priest  has  his  proper  services  ;  and  to 
the  Priests  their  proper  place  is  appointed ;  and  to 
the  Levites  appertain  their  proper  ministries ;  and  the 
Layman  is  confined  within  the  bounds  of  what  is  com- 
manded to  Laymen.  Let  every  one  of  you,  therefore, 
brethren,  bless  God  in  his  proper  station,  with  a  good 
conscience,  and  with  all  gravity,  not  exceeding  the 
ruleofhis  service  that  is  appointed  to  him."  (§  40,  4L) 
By  this  illustration  he  clearly  points  out  a  three-fold 
ministry. 

Again — he  declares  most  plainly  that  the  Apos- 
tolic office  was  not  to  cease  with  those  who  first  held 
it,  but  to  descend  to  others  also.  "  So  likewise  our 
Apostles  knew  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  there 
should  contentions  arise  about  the  name  of  the  Bish- 
opric. And  therefore  having  a  perfect  foreknow- 
ledge of  this,  they  appointed  persons,  as  we  before 
said,  and  then  gave  direction,  how,  when  they  should 
die,  other  chosen  and  approved  men  should/succeed 
in  the  ministry."     (§  44.) 

Our  next  witness  is  St.  Ignatius.  He,  as  St. 
Chrysostom  tells  us,  was  intimately  conversant  with 
the  Apostles,  educated  and  nursed  up  by  them,  and 
made  partaker  both  of  their  familiar  discourses,  and 
more  secret  and  uncommon  mysteries.^  He  was 
more  particularly  the  disciple  of  St.  John,  and  when 
fully  instructed  in  the  doctrines  of  Christianity  was 

e  Homil.  in  S.  Ignat.  v.  ii.  p.  593. 
® ® 


®- — ® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY.  103 

consecrated  Bishop  of  Antioch,  the  metropolis  of 
Syria,  and  the  most  famous  and  renowned  city  of  the 
East.  To  this  office  he  was  ordained  by  the  Apostles 
who  were  then  living,  and  continued  to  guide  the 
Church  through  the  stormy  period  which  followed, 
for  the  space  of  forty  years,  thirty  of  which  were 
passed  in  the  first  century,  the  age  of  the  inspired 
Apostles.*^  At  length,  at  the  age  of  80,  he  was  arrested 
as  a  Christian,  and  refusing  to  deny  that  Lord  in 
whose  service  he  had  lived,  was  sent  to  Rome  to  be 
devoured  by  wild  beasts  in  the  amphitheatre.  On  his 
way  thither  he  stopped  at  Smyrna,  and  was  thus  al- 
lowed to  see  once  more  his  ancient  fellow-disciple, 
St.  Polycarp,  the  Bishop  of  that  city. 

Touching  indeed  must  have  been  the  meeting  of 
these  aged  Christians,  as  thus  for  the  last  time  on 
earth  they  beheld  each  other  face  to  face.  What 
hallowed  recollections  of  the  past  must  have  come 
thronging  back  upon  them — thoughts  of  the  early 
friends  who  had  already  entered  into  rest — memories 
of  days  when  together  they  sat  at  the  feet  of  the  last 
surviving  Apostle,  and  learned  those  lessons  of  love 
for  a  fallen  race,  which  since  they  had  acted  out  in 
their  long  and  toilsome  ministry  !  Had  they  been 
faithful  to  the  lofty  trust  which  he  bestowed  upon 
them  ?  And  were  tliey  prepared  for  that  dread  ac- 
count, which,  fearful  to  any  of  our  Lord's  ministers, 
must  be  doubly  so  to  those  who  are  the  overseers  of 

f  Cave's  Lives  of  the  Fathers,  v.  i.  p.  179. 
® ® 


® ® 

104  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY. 

all  ?  Solemnly  too  must  the  future  have  opened  its 
vista  before  them,  as  these  aged  disciples  of  the  Cross 
communed  with  each  other.  They  were  men  "  ap- 
pointed to  death."  With  both,  this  dream  of  life  was 
about  to  vanish  into  eternity.  One  was  rapidly  ap- 
proaching a  death  of  agony,  while  the  other,  bowed 
down  with  years,  felt  that  the  shadows  of  the  grave 
must  soon  be  gathering  about  his  path. 

Did  no  regrets  then  in  this  hour  mingle  with  the 
musings  of  Ignatius,  as  the  past  with  its  long  array  of 
trials  rushed  back  upon  his  mind,  while  coming  days 
held  out  no  promise  but  the  pains  of  martyrdom  ? 
Was  there  no  shrinking  from  "  the  bitter  cup" — no 
clinging  still  to  this  decaying  life  ?  Did  not  nature's 
feebleness  wring  from  the  aged  man  the  prayer — 
"  Spare  me  yet  a  little  longer,  that  I  may  recover  my 
strength  before  I  go  hence,  and  be  no  more  seen  ?" 
No — his  lofty  faith  could  triumph  over  all  earthly 
evils.  His  courage  rose  to  a  nobler  elevation  as  the 
day  drew  nigh,  and  he  could  write  to  his  sorrowing 
friends — "  Now,  I  begin  to  be  a  disciple  ;  nor  shall 
any  thing  move  me,  whether  visible  or  invisible,  that 
I  may  attain  to  Jesus  Christ.  Let  fire  and  the  Cross 
— let  the  companies  of  wild  beasts — let  breakings  of 
bones  and  tearing  of  members — let  the  shattering  in 
pieces  of  the  whole  body,  and  all  the  wicked  torments 
of  the  Devil  come  upon  me,  only  let  me  enjoy  Jesus 
Christ.  All  the  ends  of  the  world,  and  the  kingdoms 
of  it,  will  profit  me  nothing  :  I  would  rather  die  for 
Jesus  Christ,  than    rule  to  the  utmost   ends  of  the 

®  ® 


-® 


EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY. 


105 


earth Suffer   me  to  enter  into  pure  light; 

where  being  come,  I  shall  be  indeed  the  servant  of 
God.  Permit  me  to  imitate  the  passion  of  Christ,  my 
God."= 

It  was  while  in  this  situation,  and  filled  with 
such  emotions,  that  Ignatius,  when  at  Smyrna,  wrote 
four  Epistles:  one  to  the  Ephesians,  one  to  the 
Magnesians,  one  to  the  Trallians,  and  one  to  the 
Romans.  Having  once  more  resumed  his  jour- 
ney, while  stopping  at  Troas  on  his  way,  he  added 
three  other  Epistles — toPolycarp,  to  the  Philadelphi- 
ans,  and  to  the  Smyrnians.  These  seven  Epistles 
were  collected  by  St.  Polycarp,  and  being  highly 
prized  in  all  ages  of  the  Church,  have  been  carefully 
preserved,  until  they  have  come  down  to  our  day. 
Here  then  is  a  witness  who  well  knew  the  divinely 
appointed  form  of  Church  government.  What  then 
does  he  say  on  this  point?  Why,  his  Epistles  are 
filled  with  incidental  allusions  to  the  Episcopal  office 
and  the  three  orders  of  the  ministry.  We  will  select 
a  few  of  these  as  examples. 

In  his  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians,  he  testifies  that  in 
his  day — that  is  from  the  year  70  to  the  year  107 — 
Bishops  were  established  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  in 
accordance  with  our  Lord's  will.  His  words  are — 
"  For  even  Jesus  Christ,  our  insuperable  life,  is  sent 
by  the  will  of  the  Father  ;  as  the  Bishops,  appointed 
unto  the  utmost  bounds  of  the  earth,  are  by  the  will  of 
Jesus  Christ."     (§  3.) 

g  Epist.  ad.  Rom.  §  5,  6. 


®- 


-® 


® ® 

106  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY. 

And  again — "  Wherefore  it  will  become  you  to  run 
together  according  to  the  will  of  your  Bishop,  as  also 
ye  do.  For  your  famous  Presbytery ,  worthy  ofGod, 
is  fitted  as  exactly  to  the  Bishop,  as  the  strings  are  to 
the  harp."      (§  4.) 

And  in  enforcing  the  duty  of  obedience,  he  says — 
"  Whomsoever  the  master  of  the  house  sends  to  be  over 
his  own  household,  we  ought  in  like  manner  to  receive 
him,  as  we  would  do  Him  that  sent  him.  It  is  there- 
fore evident,  that  we  ought  to  look  upon  the  Bishop, 
even  as  we  would  do  upon  the  Lord  Himself"     (§  6.) 

In  his  Epistle  to  the  Magnesians  are  these  passages 
— "  Seeing  then  I  have  been  judged  worthy  to  see 
you,  by  Damas,  your  most  excellent  Bishop  ;  and  by 
your  very  worthy  Presbyters,  Bassus  and  Apollonius  ; 
and  by  my  fellow  servant,  Sotio  the  Deacon,  in  whom 
I  rejoice,  forasmuch  as  he  is  subject  unto  his  Bishop, 
as  to  the  grace  of  God,  and  to  the  Presbytery ,  as  to 
the  law  of  Jesus  Christ."     (§  2.) 

"  I  exhort  you,  that  ye  study  to  do  all  things  in  a 
divine  concord  :  your  Bishop  presiding  in  the  place 
of  God ;  your  Presbyters  in  the  place  of  the  council 
of  the  Apostles ;  and  your  Deacons,  most  dear  to  me, 
being  entrusted  with  the  ministry  of  Jesus  Christ ; 
who  was  with  the  Father  before  all  ages,  and  appear- 
ed in  the  end  to  us."     (§  6.) 

"  Study  therefore,  to  be  confirmed  in  the  doctrine 
of  our  Lord,  and  of  His  Apostles,  that  so  whatsoever 
ye  do,  ye  may  prosper  both  in  body  and  spirit ;  in 
faith  and  charity ;  in  the  Son,  and  in  the  Father,  and 

® ® 


® ® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY.  107 

in  the  Holy  Spirit ;  in  the  beginning,  and  in  the  end  ; 
together  with  your  most  worthy  Bishop,  and  the  well- 
wrought  spiritual  crown  of  your  Presbytery  ;  and 
your  Deacons,  which  are  according  to  God.  Be  sub- 
ject to  your  Bishop."     (§  13.) 

In  the  beginning  of  his  Epistle  to  the  Philadelphi- 
ans,  he  says,  that  he  salutes  them,  "especially  if  they 
are  at  unity  with  the  Bishop,  and  Presbyters  w  ho  are 
with  him,  and  the  Deacons,  appointed  according  to 
the  mind  of  Jesus  Christ,  whom  He  has  settled  ac- 
cording to  His  own  will  in  all  firmness,  by  His  Holy 
Spirit." 

In  the  body  of  the  Epistle,  he  utters  a  fearful  sen- 
tence against  those  who  violate  the  unity  of  the  Church. 
After  calling  them  "  wolves  who  seem  worthy  of  be- 
lief, that  with  a  false  pleasure  lead  captive  those  that 
run  in  the  course  of  God,"  and  "  herbs  which  Jesus 
Christ  does  not  dress,"  he  adds — "  Be  not  deceived, 
brethren,  if  any  one  follows  him  that  makes  a  schism 
in  the  Church,  he  shall  not  inherit  the  kingdom  of 
God.  If  any  one  walks  after  any  other  opinion,  he 
agrees  not  with  the  passion  of  Christ."     (§  3.) 

And  again — "  I  cried  while  I  was  among  you  ;  I 
spake   with  a  loud  Jvoice — attend  to  the  Bishop,  and 

to  the  Presbytery ,  and  to  the  Deacons Do 

nothing  without  the  Bishop."     (§  7.) 

To  the  Smyrnians,  he  wrote — "  See  that  ye  all 
follow  your  Bishop,  as  Jesus  Christ,  the  Father  ;  and 
the  Presbytery,  as  the  Apostles  ;  and  reverence  the 
Deacons,  as  the  command  of  God.     Let  no  man  do 

® @ 


® 

108  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY. 

any  thing  of  what  belongs  to  the  Church  separately 
from  the  Bishop.  Let  that  Eucharist  be  looked  upon 
as  well  established,  which  is  either  offered  by  the 
Bishop,  or  by  him  to  whom  the  Bishop  has  given  his 
consent.  Wheresoever  the  Bishop  shall  appear,  there 
let  the  people  also  be ;  as  where  Jesus  Christ  is,  there 
is  the  Catholic  Church."     (^  8.) 

And  in  conclusion  he  says — "  I  salute  your  very 
worthy  Bishop,  and  your  venerable  Presbytery,  and 
your  Deacons."     (§  12.) 

In  his  Epistle  to  Polycarp,  also,  he  thus  through 
him  addresses  the  Church  of  Smyrna — "  Hearken 
unto  the  Bishop,  that  God  also  may  hearken  unto 
you.  My  soul  be  security  for  them  that  submit  to 
their  Bishop,  with  their  Presbyters,  and  Deacons." 
(§6.) 

Again — he  exhorts  the  Trallians — "  He  that  is 
within  the  altar  is  pure  ;  but  he  that  is  without,  that 
is,  that  does  any  thing  without  the  Bishop,  and  Pres- 
byters, and  Deacons,  is  not  pure  in  his  conscience." 

(§  7.) 

Such  then  is  the  character  of  all  the  allusions  made 
by  Ignatius,  and  testimony  like  this  to  the  existence 
of  the  three  orders  of  the  ministry  might  be  much 
increased  from  his  Epistles.  We  will  give,  how- 
ever, but  one  more  extract.  It  is  from  the  Epis- 
tle to  the  Trallians,  where  he  says — "  In  like  manner 
let  all  reverence  the  Deacons,  as  Jesus  Christ ;  and 
the  Bishop,  as  the  Father  ;  and  the  Presbyters,  as  the 
Sanhedrim  of  God,  and  the  College  of  the  Apostles. 

® ® 


® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    KISTORY.  109 

Without  these  there  is  no  Church."  (§  3.)  Now, 
mark  this  expression.  St.  Ignatius,  who  personally 
knew  the  Apostles,  after  mentioning  the  three  orders 
of  the  ministry,  declares — Without  these  there  is 
NO  Church.  And  he  was  one,  cotemporary  with  the 
immediate  disciples  of  our  Lord,  Yet  in  this  day  we 
are  told,  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  retain  the  Apos- 
tolic Constitution  of  the  ministry,  and  are  ridiculed 
because  we  cleave  steadfastly  to  it,  following  in  the 
steps  of  these  ancient  martyrs.  But  who — we  appeal 
to  your  reason — who  was  most  likely  to  know  what 
was  necessary  to  the  constitution  of  a  Church  ;  Igna- 
tius, who  had  been  a  disciple  of  St.  John,  and  gath- 
ered instruction  from  his  holy  lips,  or  those  who  in 
the  nineteenth  century,  having  separated  from  the 
Church,  hesitate  not  to  pronounce  its  Apostolic  min- 
istry, "  a  cunningly  devised  fable  ?"  If,  indeed,  in- 
stead of  the  mass  of  testimony  before  us,  we  had  no- 
thing but  the  Epistles  of  this  single  writer,  they  would 
be  amply  sufficient  to  prove  the  existence  of  Episco- 
pacy in  the  days  of  the  Apostles.'' 

li  With  regard  to  tlie  genuineness  and  authenticity  of  these 
Epistles,  we  would  observe,  that  several  ancient  writers — 
such  as  Irenajus,  a  disciple  of  Polycarp,  Origen,  who  was  born 
in  the  latter  part  of  the  second  century,  and  Eusebius,  the 
Ecclesiastical  Historian — all  possessed  copies  of  the  works  of 
Ignatius,  and  the  quotations  they  made  agree  with  passages 
now  found  in  our  versions  of  them.  Bishop  Pearson,  in  his 
Vindicia  Epistolarum  Ignatii,  and  John  Daille,  in  his  De 
Scriptis  qua  sub  Dionysii  Arcop.  et  Ignatii  Antioch.nominibus 
circumferu?itur,  have  fully  asserted  their  claims.     Grotius,  a 

® ® 


®- 


-® 


no 


EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROai    HISTORY, 


The  next  testimony  we  shall  cite  is  that  of  St. 
Polycarp,  who  has  been  already  mentioned  as  the 
fellow  disciple  of  Ignatius.  After  having  been  co- 
Presbyterian  (as  quoled  by  Pearson,  chap,  v.),  writing  to 
Vossius,  says — "  The  Epistles  of  Ignatius,  which  your  son 
brought  out  of  Italy,  pure  from  all  those  things  which  the 
learned  have  hitherto  suspected,  Blondel  will  not  admit,  be- 
cause they  afford  a  clear  testimonij  to  the  antiquity  of  Episco- 
pacy." Even  Mosheim  allows — "  Perhaps  there  would  be 
no  contention  with  most  persons  about  the  Epistles  of  Igna- 
tius, if  those  who  contend  for  the  divine  origin  and  antiquity 
of  Episcopal  government  had  not  been  enabled  to  support 
their  cause  with  them."  Dc  rebus  Christianis  ante  Constan- 
tinum,  p.  160. 

Presbyterians  always  endorse  Ignatius,  except  when  he 
proves  Episcopacy.  Thus  Dr.  Miller  of  Princeton,  when 
arguing  on  the  ministry,  finds  Ignatius  to  be  unworthy  of  any 
credit.  When  wishing,  however,  to  prove  the  belief  of  the 
Early  Church  in  the  divinity  of  our  Lord,  he  discovers  that 
the  disciple  of  St.  John  is  excellent  authority.  His  recorded 
testimony  therefore  stands  thus — 

LETTERS    ON  THE    MINISTRY.  LETTERS    ON   UNITARIANISM. 

"  That  even  the  '  Shorter  "  The  great  body  of  learn- 
Epistles'  of  Ignatius  are  un-  ed  men  consider  the  smaller 
worthy  of  confidence,  as  the  Epistles  of  Ignatius  as,  in  the 
genuine  works  of  the  Father  main,  the  real  works  of  the 
whose  name  they  bear,  is  the  writer  whose  name  they 
opinion  of  many  of  the  ablest  bear."  p.  122. 
and  best  judges  in  the  Protes- 
tant world."     p.  150. 

"  Intelligent  readers  are  no 
doubt  aware,  that  the  genu- 
ineness of  the  Epistles  of  Ig- 


"  I  do  not  admit,  that  the 
most  learned  and  able  of  the 
critics  reject  as  spurious  the 


natius    has    been    called    in     seven  shorter  Epistles  of  this 


®- 


-® 


® @ 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED     FROM    HISTORY.  Ill 

temporary  with  the  Apostles  for  forty  years,  and  filled 
the  office  of  Bishop  of  Smyrna  (to  which  he  was 
ordained  by  St.  John)  for  more  than  half  a  century, 
he  suffered  martyrdom  in  the  year  147,  being  then 
eighty-six  years  old.  We  have  but  one  letter  of  his 
remaining.  The  Philippians  had  requested  him  to 
send  them  the  Epistles  of  Ignatius,  which  he  did, 
.  adding  to  them  an  Epistle  of  his  own,  beginning  with 
these  words — '^  Polycarp  and  the  Presbyters  that  are 
with  him,  to  the  Church  of  God  which  is  at  Philippi." 
This  Epi.stle  is  chiefly  valuable,  becfiuse  it  contains 
an  entire  endorsement  of  all  that  Ignatius  had  asserted. 
His  words  are — "The  Epistles  of  Ignatius,  which  he 
MTote  unto  us,  together  with  what  others  of  his  have 
come  into  our  hands,  we  have  sent  unto  you,  accord- 
ing to  your  order,  which  are  subjoined  to  this  Epistle  ; 
by  which  ye  may  be  greatly  profited,  for  they  treat 
of  faith  and  patience,  and  of  all  things  that  pertain 
to  edification  in  the  Lord  Jesus."  (§  13.)  Did  not 
then  St.  Polycarp  believe  Episcopacy  to  be  a  divine 
institution  ?  Unless  such  had  been  his  views,  no 
earthly  consideration  would  have  induced  him  thus 
openly  and  'decidedly  to  have  recorded  his  approval 
of  Epistles  which  so  plainly  set  forth  as  binding  upon 
all  men,  the  three  orders  of  the  ministry. 

question  by  a  great  majority     Father."     Letter  on  the  Eter- 
of  Protestant  divines,  and  is     nal  Sonship  of  Christ. 
not    only    really    but    deeply 
questionable."     Essay  on  the 
office  of  Ruling  Elder. 


® 


@ ® 

112  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY. 

The  next  witness  from  whom  we  shall  quote  is 
St.  Irenaeus.  He  was  a  disciple  of  Polycarp,  and 
born  about  the  time  of  St.  John's  death.  Mosheim 
speaks  of  his  works  as  being  "  a  splendid  monument 
of  antiquity.'"  Listen  to  his  plain  declaration  with 
regard  to  this  historical  fact — "  We  can  reckon  up 
those  whom  the  Apostles  ordained  to  be  JiisJiojJS 
in  the  several  Churches,  and  who  they  were  that  suc- 
ceeded them,  down  to  our  own  times  ....  For  the 
Apostles  desired  to  have  those  in  all  things  perfect 
and  unreprovable,  whom  they  left  to  be  their  suc- 
cessors, and  to  whom  they  committed  their  own  Apos- 
tolic authority.  We  have  the  successions  of  Bishops 
to  whom  the  Apostolic  Church  in  every  place  was 
committed.  All  these  [viz.  the  heretics]  are  much 
later  than  the  Bishops  to  whom  the  Apostles  did 
deliver  the  Churches."' 

"  The  true  knowledge  is  the  doctrine  of  the  Apos- 
tles, and  the  ancient  state  of  the  Church  throughout  the 
whole  world,  and  the  character  of  the  body  of  Christ 
according  to  the  succession  of  Bishops  to  whom  they 
committed  the  Church  that  is  in  every  place,  and 
which  has  descended  even  unto  us."^ 

And  he  afterwards  adds,  with  regard  to  those 
who  inherited  the  Apostolic  office — "  With  the  suc- 
cession of  their  Episcopacy ,  they  have  the  sure  gift 
of  truth,  according  to  the  good  pleasure  of  the 
Father." 

i  Eccles.  Hist.  v.  i.  p.  146. 
j  Adv.  Hceres.  1.  iii.  c.  4.  k  Ibid.  1.  iv.  c.  6. 

® ® 


® ® 

EPISCOPACY    PPvOVED    FROM    HISTORY.  113 

We  will  bring  forward  the  testimony  of  but  one 
more  witness.  It  is  that  of  Tertullian — the  most 
eminent  Latin  scholar  of  his  day — who  lived  at  the 
end  of  the  second  century.  In  his  work,  De  Prcescrip. 
HcEreticorini},  when  arguing  against  those  who  had 
wandered  from  the  faith,  he  says — "  Let  them  pro- 
duce the  original  of  their  Churches ;  let  them  show 
the  order  of  their  Bishops,  that  by  their  succession, 
deduced  from  the  beginning,  we  may  see  whether  their 
first  Bishop  had  any  of  the  Apostles,  or  Apostolical 
men,  who  did  likewise  persevere  with  the  Apostles, 
for  his  ordainer  and  predecessor ;  for  thus  the  Apos- 
tolical Churches  do  derive  their  succession  ;  as  the 
Church  of  Smyrna  from  Polycarp,  whom  John  the 
Apostle  placed  there  ;  the  Church  of  Rome  from 
Clement,  who  was  in  like  manner  ordained  by  Peter  ; 
and  so  the  other  Churches  can  produce  those  con- 
stituted in  their  Bishoprics  by  the  Apostles.'^  (c.  32.)' 

1  We  can  show  from  two  early  writers  how  carefully  the 
Church  in  tiiat  day  preserved — as  Tertullian  here  states — 
the  succession  of  the  Bishops  in  the  different  sees.  Thus 
Irenajus  says,  "  seeing  that  it  is  very  long,  in  such  a  volume 
as  this,  to  enumerate  the  succession  of  Bishops  in  all  the 
Churches,"  he  will  give,  as  an  example,  that  of  Rome,  which 
he  does  in  these  words  : — 

"The  blessed  Apostles,  therefore,  founding  and  instruct- 
ing the  Church,  [of  Rome,]  delivered  to  Linus  the  administra- 
tion of  its  Bisiiopric  :  Paul  makes  mention  of  this  Linus  in 
his  Epistles  to  Timothy  To  him  succeeded  Anacletus ; 
after  whom,  in  the  third  place  from  the  Apostles,  Clement 
had  the  Bishopric  allotted  to  him.     He  had  seen  the  blessed 

® ® 


(?) ® 

114  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY. 

And   thus  we  might   go  on,   age  after   age,   and 
multiply   our  witnesses  to  this  truth.     The  writings 

Apostles,  and  was  conversant  witli  them ;  and  as  yet  he  had 
the  preaching  of  the  Apostles  sounding  in  his  ears,  and  their 
tradition  before  his  eyes  :  and  not  he  alone,  for  at  that  time 
there  were  many  yet  remaining  alive,  who  had  been  taught 
by  the  Apostles.  To  this  Clement  succeeded  Evarestus,  and 
to  Evarestus,  Alexander  ;  and  then  Xystus  was  appointed 
the  sixth  from  the  Apostles;  and  after  him  Tclesphorus, 
who  suffered  a  glorious  martyrdom;  after  him,  Hyginus; 
then  Pius  ;  after  him,  Anicetus.  And  Soter  having  suc- 
ceeded Anicetus,  Eleutherus  now  has  the  Bishopric,  in  the 
twelfth  place  from  the  Apostles.  By  this  order  and  succes- 
sion, that  tradition  which  is  from  the  Apostles,  and  the 
preaching  of  the  truth,  is  descended  unto  us."  Jldv.  Hares. 
lib.  iii.  ch.  3. 

In  the  same  way,  Eusebius,  the  ecclesiastical  historian, 
in  his  Church  History,  written  about  the  time  of  the  council 
of  Nice,  A.  D.  325,  gives  the  successions  of  the  four  Patriarchal 
Sees,  of  Rome,  Alexandria,  Jerusalem,  and  Antioch,  from 
the  beginning  down  to  the  year  3U5.  These  he  copied  from 
the  archives  and  records  of  the  different  Churches,  which 
were  extant  in  his  day,  but  have  since  been  lost.  We  are 
told,  indeed,  that  by  the  express  command  of  the  Emperor, 
all  these  public  registers  throughout  the  Roman  empire  were 
laid  open  to  him,  "and  out  of  these  materials  he  principally 
compiled  his  Ecclesiastic  History."  (Cave's  Lives  of  the 
Fathers,  v.  ii.  p.  135.)  The  same  lists  are  given  by  other 
writers,  so  as  to  render  the  facts  with  regard  to  the  succes- 
sion in  the  Primitive  Church,  indisputable. 

There  was  also  in  that  day  a  library  at  /Elia  which  was 
founded  by  Alexander  the  Bisliop  there,  wliich  has  since 
been  destroyed.  "  From  this  " — ssK's  Eusebius — "  we  have 
also  been  able  to  collect  materials  for  our  present  work." 
(Eccles.  Hist.  lib.  vi.  chap.  20.)  i 

® -_ ® 


® — ^ 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY.  115 

of  Hegesippus,  Polycrates,  Dionysius  of  Corinth,"" 
Clement  of  Alexandria,  Origen,  Cyprian,  Optatus, 
Ephrem  Syrus,  and  that  code  of  laws  called  "  The 
Apostolical  Canons,"  are  all  equally  clear  and  dis- 
tinct in  their  assertion  of  the  truth,  that  through  all 
those  ages  the  Episcopal  form  of  government  was  the 
only  one  existing  in  the  Church."  So  evident,  in- 
deed, was  the  pre-eminence  of  the  Bishops,  that  even 
the  heathen  were  well  aware  of  the  fact.  Thus, 
when  the  Emperor  Maximinus  commenced  his  per- 
secution against  the  Christians,  we  are  told  by  Eu- 
sebius,  that ''  he  commanded  at  first  only  the  Archontes , 
or  chief  rulers  of  the  Churches  to  be  slain.""  And 
St.  Cyprian  tells  Antoninus,  that  so  great  was  the 
hatred  of  the  Emperor  Decius  against  the  Christians, 

m  The  writings  of  these  three  authors  have  perished,  and 
must  be  included  among  those  ancient  records  used  by  Euse- 
bius,  which  are  now  lost  to  the  world.  We  receive,  however, 
their  testimony  on  the  subject  of  the  government  of  the  early 
Churcii,  from  the  extracts  he  has  incorporated  in  his  own 
history.  Hegesippus  in  the  second  century  wrote  a  History 
of  the  Churcli  from  the  beginning  to  iiis  own  day,  and  having 
travelled  extensively,  speaks  of  the  Bishops  presiding  in  the 
different  countries  he  had  visited.  {Euseh.  1.  iv.  c.  8,  22.) 
For  tiie  testimony  of  Polycrates,  see  Euseb.  I.  v.  c.  24 — and 
for  that  of  Dionysius,  Euseb.  1.  iv.  c.  23. 

n  And  yet  with  all  this  array  of  testimony  before  him, 
(for  we  have  only  given  a  mere  specimen,)  Dr.  3Iiller  of 
Princeton  can  say,  "  they  refer  us  to  sotnc  vague  suggestions 
and  allusions  of  a  fcio  of  the  carhj  fathers."  Letters  on  the 
Ministry,  p.  5). 

o  Eccles.  Hist.  I.  vi.  c.  28. 

® . 


(£) _ -® 

116  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY. 

that  "  he  could  have  heard  with  greater  patience  that 
another  prince  had  set  himself  up  as  a  rival  in  the 
empire,  than  that  a  Bishop  should  have  been  settled 
in  the  city  of  Rome/''^  The  historian  Gibbon  is 
forced  to  admit  the  existence  of  Episcopacy  even  in 
the  Apostolic  days.  His  words  are — "  The  Episcopal 
form  of  government  ....  appears  to  have  been  in- 
troduced before  the  close  of  tlie  first  century  T  "It 
had  acquired  in  a  very  early  period  the  sanction  of 
antiquity."  ^^ Nulla  ecclesia  sine  EpiscopOy  (no  Church 
without  a  Bishop,)  has  been  a  fact  as  well  as  a  maxim 
since  the  time  of  Tertullian  and  Ireucsus."'  He  ac- 
knowledged, that  "  after  we  have  passed  the  difficul- 
ties of  the  first  century  " — which  would  be  before  the 
death  of  St.  John — "  we  find  the  Episcopal  govern- 
ment universally  established,  till  it  was  interrupted 
by  the  republican  genius  of  the  Swiss  and  German 
reformers.'"'  The  skeptical  historian  found  in  truth, 
when  he  sat  down  to  sketch  the  progress  of  our  faith 
in  that  early  day,  that  the  history  of  Christianity  was 
the  history  of  Episcopacy.  To  have  drawn  the 
picture  of  our  religion  in  the  first  three  centuries, 
yet  without  admitting  the  government  of  Bishops, 
would  have  been  as  easy  as  to  have  given  a  view  of 
imperial  Rome  in  the  ages  of  her  "  Decline  and  Fall," 
without  making  any  mention  of  her  Emperors.  The 
Church  with  her  three-fold  ministry  met  him  at  every 
step.     From  the  very  first  they  were  inseparable,  and 

p  Epist.  55.  q  Decline  and  Fall,  ch.  xv. 

(S)- ® 


® (5) 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY.  117 

could  not  be  dissevered.  God  had  "joined  them 
together,"  and  man  could  not  "  put  them  asunder." 
Regarding  them  simply  as  historical  facts,  we  have 
the  same  evidence  of  the  existence  of  Episcopacy 
throughout  the  Church  in  primitive  times,  that  we 
have  of  the  use  of  baptism,  or  the  weekly  reception 
of  the  Eucharist.'' 

r  Palmer  in  liis  Treatise  on  the  C/iurch  (v.  i.  pp.  392-4) 
shows  the  uniform  practice  with  respect  to  ordination  by 
Bishops  only,  and  the  decision  whicli  was  at  once  made  with 
regard  to  the  invalidity  of  this  rite  by  Presbyters  only.  "  We 
find  several  instances  in  which  such  ordinations  were  de- 
clared null,  but  not  a  single  case  Jias  been  adduced  in  which 
they  were  really  allowed.  In  324,  the  council  of  all  the 
Egyptian  Bishops  assembled  at  Alexandria  under  Hosius, 
declared  null  and  void  the  ordinations  performed  by  Col- 
luthus,  a  Presbyter  of  Alexandria,  who  had  separated  from 
his  Bishop  and  pretended  to  act  as  a  Bishop  iiimself.  (Atha- 
nas.  Oper.  t.  i.  p.  193.)  In  340,  the  Egyptian  Bishops,  in 
their  defence  of  St.  Athanasius,  alluding  to  Ischyras,  who 
pretended  to  be  a  priest,  said,  '  Whence,  then,  was  Ischyras 
a  Presbyter  ?  Who  was  his  ordainer  .''  Colluthus  ?  For  this 
only  remains.  But  it  is  known  to  all  and  doubted  by  no  one, 
that  Colluthus  died  a  Presbyter ;  that  his  hands  were  with- 
out authority  ;  and  that  all  who  were  ordained  by  him  in 
time  of  the  schism,  were  reduced  to  the  state  of  laymen,  and 
as  such  attend  the  Church  assemblies.'  (Ibid.  p.  134.)  .... 
.  .  .  Epiphanius  refutes  the  doctrine  of  Aerius,  observing, 
that  Bishops  beget  fJithers  of  the  Church  by  ordination.  Pres- 
byters beget  sons  only  by  baptism,  and  concludes,  'How  can 
he  constitute  a  Presbyter,  who  has  no  right  to  ordain  him  by 
imposition  of  hands  ?'     (Epiph.  Hrrres.  75.  Opcr.  t.  i.  p.  908.) 

No    difficulties    induced    the    Church    to    break 

through  tliis  rule.     Never  do  we  read,  even  in  the  height  of 

6* 

® ® 


® — ® 

]  18  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY. 

And  this  continued  to  be  the  case  for  fifteen 
hundred  years;  for  until  the  Reformation  in  the 
sixteenth  century  there  is  no  evidence  of  the  exist- 
ence of  any  religious  community,  without  a  Bishop 
and  Episcopal  government.  At  this  time  it  was, 
when  old  customs  and  rites  were  broken  up,  and  the 
restless  desire  was  created  to  make  all  things  new, 
that  the  many  parties  which  we  see  in  the  Christian 
world  took  their  rise.  The  Church  at  that  period 
being  deformed  by  the  corruptions  which  had  gradu- 
ally gathered  around  her  as  the  Middle  Ages  went 
by,  there  was  a  natural  wish  in  the  minds  of  men  to 
restore  her  to  Apostolic  purity.  Yet  in  this,  as  is 
often  the  case  in  other  things,  they  ran  to  the  oppo- 
site extreme.  Among  the  reformers  on  the  conti- 
nent, the  reason  let  loose  from  its  thraldom,  indulged 
in  the  strano;est  extravagances.  The  followers  of 
Luther,  Melancthon,  Zuinglius,  and  Calvin,  differed 
widely,  but  looked  only  to  their  own  private  views  as 
their  guides.  And  the  result  was,  that  instead  of 
retaining  what  was  primitive  and  apostolic  in  the 
Church — retaining  in  fact  the  Church  herself,  relieved 
from  all  corruptions — they  abandoned   every  ancient 

the  Arian  persecutions,  of  any  attempt  to  supply  the  neces- 
sities of  the  Churches  by  means  of  Presbyterian  ordinations; 
no,  not  though  it  was  held  that  in  a  time  of  such  necessity, 
ail  the  ordinary  rules  might  be  dispensed  with.  Even  when 
the  Vandals  exiled  the  whole  body  of  the  African  Bishops 
to  the  number  of  nearly  500,  (Fleury.  Hist.  Eccl.  lib.  xxx. 
§  7,)  we  read  of  no  attempt  to  deviate  from  the  universal 
rule." 

— -^ 


® ® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FR03I    HISTORY.  119 

landmark.  Thus,  the  expedient  was  at  last  resorted 
to,  of  forming  a  new  Church  and  a  new  ministry  of 
their  own,  and  their  followers,  to  defend  its  validity, 
have  been  obliged  since  that  time  to  take  the  ground, 
that  Episcopal  ordination  is  not  necessary,  and  that 
but  one  order  of  ministers  is  required.  The  door 
being  thus  thrown  widely  open,  unnumbered  sects 
arose,  each  modelled  after  its  particular  leader,  as  he 
happened  to  give  a  prominence  to  some  single  doc- 
trine of  histcreed  ;  and  these,  or  their  offspring,  form 
that  "  mixed  multitude  "  which  encircle  the  camp  of 
the  true  Israel  as  it  journeys  through  the  wilderness. 
That  the  Reformers  at  first  intended  to  separate 
from  the  Church,  we  do  not  believe.  This  step  grew 
out  of  occurrences  which  they  could  not  have  fore- 
seen. The  storm  they  had  raised  was  indeed  beyond 
all  human  control,  and  the  whirlwind  swept  them 
along  with  it  in  its  course.  They  had  called  forth 
the  passions  of  men,  and  taken  off  every  restraint 
from  spiritual  freedom,  and  who  had  power  to  say — 
"  Thus  far  and  no  farther  shalt  thou  go?"  The  suc- 
cessive steps  too  taken  by  the  court  of  Rome,  at  last 
rendered  an  accommodation  impossible,  and  placed 
the  Lutherans  under  the  ban  of  interdict,  as  heretics, 
whose  company  the  faithful  were  commanded  to  avoid. 
"It  would  be,  therefore,  a  great  mistake  to  suppose 
that  Luther  or  his  party  designed  to  effect  a  reforma- 
tion in  the  Church ;  they  were  driven  entirely  by  the 
force  of  circumstances  to  adopt  the  course  they  did. 
It  was  not  premeditated  or  desired  by  them.     They 


®- 


1 


® _ —  ig) 

120  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY. 

would  have  imcMy  altered  the  Lutheran  system,  which 
was  a  merely  temporary  arrangement,  if  by  so  doing 
they  could  have  recovered  the  communion  of  the 
Church.  But  the  opposition  of  the  Roman  See 
thwarted  these  designs ;  the  Council  of  Trent  ren- 
dered them  still  more  difficult ;  and,  in  time,  the 
Lutherans  forgot  that  their  system  was  merely  pro- 
visional, pretended  to  justify  it  as  ordinary  and  suffi- 
cient, and  lost  their  desire  for  accommodation  with 
the  Roman  and  German  Churches.'"       , 

The  Reformers  fully  realized  the  difficulty  of  their 
position,  and  the  necessity  of  Episcopacy  to  constitute 

s  Palmer's  Treatise  on  the  Church,  v.  i.  p.  341.  See  this 
point  proved  in  Part  i.  cli.  12,  sect.  1,  2. — It  was  a  favorite  re. 
mark  of  Napoleon,  that  "  no  man  who  commenced  a  revolu- 
tion, knew  where  he  was  going  " — and  the  statement  is  as 
true  of  moral  and  religious,  as  of  political  changes.  It  is,  we 
think,  an  error  to  regard  Luther  so  entirely  as  creating  and 
moulding  the  opinions  of  his  age,  or  by  any  means  con- 
templating the  extent  to  which  he  himself  would  be  carried. 
He  was  the  living  development — the  speaking  voice — of  that 
deep  feeling  which  pervaded  all  classes  of  society,  and  which 
would  eventually  have  found  utterance  and  produced  a  re- 
formation, had  Luther  never  existed.  The  opposition  to  the 
Romish  Church  in  France,  commenced  before  the  name  of 
Luther  had  been  heard  in  that  country.  Of  course,  after  he 
had  taken  the  bold  stand  into  which  he  was  driven,  his  re- 
action upon  the  people  was  as  great  as  their  action  upon  him. 
He  presented  a  centre  of  unity,  and  gave  direction  and  aim 
to  their  efforts.  But  no  one  can  thoughtfully  read  his  life, 
without  perceiving,  that  instead  of  leading  his  generation,  he 
was  himself  borne  forward  by  the  hcavings  of  the  mighty 
s  beneath  him. 

~ ® 


® _ ® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY.  121 

a  Church  or  a  valid  ministry.  We  accordingly  find 
in  their  writings,  repeated  declarations  in  favor  of 
this  form  of  government,  and  even  the  distinct  ac- 
knowledgment of  its  divine  authority.  They  arrayed 
themselves,  not  against  this  power  itself,  but  against 
the  abuse  of  it  in  the  Romish  Church. 

Thus  in  the  Confession  of  Augsburg,  (pars  i. 
art.  22,)  "  which  Melancthon  drew  up,  holding  con- 
sultation all  the  while  with  Luther,'"  it  says  of 
Bishops — "  The  Churches  ought,  necessarily,  and 
jure  clivino,  to  obey  them."  .  .  .  .  "  The  Bishops 
might  easily  retain  their  legitimate  obedience,  if  they 
would  not  urge  us  to  observe  traditions  which  cannot 
be  kept  with  a  good  conscience.  .  .  .  There  is  no 
design  to  deprive  the  Bishops  of  their  authority,  but 
this  only  is  sought,  that  the  Gospel  be  permitted  to  be 
purely  taught,  and  a  few  observances  be  relaxed." 
And  in  the  Articles  of  Smalcald,  "  drawn  up  in 
German  by  Luther,  in  his  own  acrimonious  style,""  in 
denouncing  the  supremacy  assumed  by  the  Pope,  he 
says — "  The  Church  can  never  be  better  governed 
and  preserved,  than  when  we  all  live  under  one  Head, 
Jesus  Christ,  and  all  Bishops,  equal  in  office,  though 
unequal  in  gifts,  are  most  perfectly  united  in  diligence, 
concord  of  doctrine,  «Stc.  .  .  .  The  Apostles  were 
equal,  and  afterwards  the  Bishops  in  all  Christendom, 
until  the  Pope  raised  his  head  above  all."  (pars  ii. 
art.  4.) 

In  the   same  strain  Melancthon  always  wrote. 

t    Mosheim's  Eccles.  Hist.  V.  iii.  p.  49.        u    Ibid.  p.  64. 
® ® 


® — ® 

122  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY. 

In  the  Apology  for  the  Augsburg  Confession,  which 
he  drew  up,  he  says — "  We  have  oft  protested,  that 
we  do  greatly  approve  the  ecclesiastical  polity  and 
degrees  in  the  Church,  and  as  much  as  lieth  in  us, 
do  desire  to  conserve  them.  We  do  not  mislike  the 
authority  of  Bishops — we  do  here  protest  that  we 
would  willingly  preserve  the  ecclesiastical  polity — that 
it  may  not  be  imputed  to  us,  that  the  authority  of 
Bishops  is  overthrown  by  us." 

Again,  he  says — "  I  would  to  God,  it  lay  in  me  to 
restore  the  government  of  Bishops.  For  I  see  what 
manner  of  Church  we  shall  have,  the  ecclesiastical 
polity  being  dissolved.  I  do  see  that  hereafter  will 
grow  up  a  greater  tyranny  in  the  Church,  than  there 
ever  was  before." 

Once  more,  he  asks — "  By  what  right  or  law  may 
we  dissolve  the  ecclesiastical  polity,  if  the  Bishops 
will  grant  us  that  which  in  reason  they  ought  to 
grant?  And  if  it  were  lawful  for  us  so  to  do,  yet 
surely  it  were  not  expedient.  Luther  was  ever  of  this 
opinion." 

Beza,  in  his  treatise  against  Saravia,  says — "  If 
there  are  any,  (which  you  shall  hardly  persuade  me 
to  believe,)  who  reject  the  whole  order  of  Episcopacy, 
God  forbid  that  any  man  of  a  sound  mind  should  as- 
sent to  the  madness  of  such  men." 

We  will  quote  the  opinions  of  but  one  other  of  that 
age.  Among  those  who  are  now  reverenced  by  the 
opposers  of  Episcopacy,  there  is  no  name  stands 
higher  than  that  of  Calvin.     Yet  listen  to  his  testi- 

® ® 


® ® 

I  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY.  123 

mony.  In  his  commentary  on  Titus  (chap.  i.  v.  5) 
he  says — "  At  that  time"  (that  is,  in  the  time  of  Titus) 
"  there  teas  no  equality  among  the  ministers  of  the 
Church,  but  some  one  in  authority  and  council  had 
the  pre-eminence." 

Again,  he  declares — "  To  every  Bishop  was  com- 
mitted the  government  of  his  own  clergy,  that  they 
should  rule  their  clergy  according  to  the  Canons,  and 
hold  them  to  their  duty."' 

"  In  the  solemn  assembly,  the  Bishops  had  a  cer- 
tain apparel  whereby  they  might  be  distinctly  known 
from  other  Priests.  They  ordered  all  Priests  and 
Deacons  with  only  laying  on  of  hands.  But  every 
Bishop,  with  the  company  of  Priests,  ordained  his  own 
Priests."" 

In  his  Book,  De  Necess.  reformand.  Eccles.  he 
has  these  words — "  Let  them  give  us  such  an  hierar- 
chy, in  which  Bishops  may  be  so  above  the  rest,  as 
they  refuse  not  to  be  under  Christ,  and  depend  upon 
Him  as  their  only  Head  ;  that  they  maintain  a  brother- 
ly society,  &lc.  If  there  be  any  that  do  not  behave 
themselves  with  all  reverence  and  obedience  towards 
them,  there  is  no  anathema,  but  I  confess  them 
worthy  of  it.""  But  especially  is  his  opinion  of  Epis- 
copacy shown  by  a  letter,  which  he  and  Bullinger, 
and  other  learned  men  wrote  in  1549  to  King  Ed- 
ward VI.  offering  to  make  him  their  Defender,  and 
to  have  Bishops  in  their  Churches,  as  there  were  in 

V.  Instit.  lib.  4.  ch.  12.  w  Ibid.  ch.  4. 

X  Strype's  Life  of  Archbishop  Parker,  p.  140. 

®  ® 


® ® 

124     EPISCOPACY  PROVED  FROM  HISTORY. 

England.  Unfortunately  this  letter  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Romish  Bishops.  The  following  account  of  it 
was  found  among  the  papers  of  Archbishop  Parker — 
"  And  whereas  John  Calvin  had  sent  a  letter  in  King 
Edward  the  Vlth's  reign,  to  have  conferred  with  the 
clergy  of  England  about  some  things  to  this  effect, 
two  Bishops,  viz.,  Gardiner  and  Bonner,  intercepted 
the  same ;  whereby  Mr.  Calvin's  overture  perished. 
And  he  received  an  answer,  as  if  it  had  been  from  the 
reformed  Divines  of  those  times  ;  wherein  they  check- 
ed him,  and  slighted  his  proposals  :  from  which  time 
John  Calvin  and  the  Church  of  England  were  at 
variance  in  several  points  ;  which  otherwise  through 
God's  mercy  had  been  qualified,  if  those  papers  of  his 
proposals  had  been  discovered  unto  the  Queen's  Ma- 
jesty during  John  Calvin's  life.  But  being  not  dis- 
covered until  or  about  the  sixth  year  of  her  Majesty's 
reign,  her  Majesty  much  lamented  they  were  not  found 
sooner  :  which  she  expressed  before  her  Council  at 
the  same  time,  in  the  presence  of  her  great  friends, 
Sir  Henry  Sidney,  and  Sir  William  Cecil."^ 

Such  then  were  the  opinions  of  the  Reformers  on 
the  Continent — the  fathers  of  Presbyterianism.  But 
borne  along  by  the  curfent,  they  at  length  violated 
their  own  declared  principles  and  clear  convictions 
of  duty.  Like  John  Wesley  in  modern  times,  impa- 
tient of  the  movings  of  Providence,  they  could  not 
wait  God's  time,  and  therefore  rushed  into  open 
schism,    and   cut  themselves  off  from   the    Church. 

y  Ibid  p.  141. 

(i) . — — ® 


®- (5) 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY.  125 

And  now,  for  tliree  hundred  years  the  world  has  been 
reaping  the  bitter  fruits  of  the  harvest  which  they 
sowed.  Strife,  and  dissension,  and  every  form  of 
error,  prevail  among  their  followers,  and  in  the  lands 
where  once  they  preached,  scarcely  a  trace  of  their 
spirit  remains. 

From  this  melancholy  picture  of  inconsistency, 
and  spiritual  desolation,  we  turn  with  gratitude  to 
England,  where  the  principles  by  which  they  were 
guided,  and  the  end  attained,  were  all  so  widely 
different.  There,  the  Reformation  left  the  whole 
Church,  with  its  three-fold  ministry  of  Bishops, 
Priests,  and  Deacons,  unimpaired.  Bowing  to  no 
mere  human  opinions,  when  the  views  of  Luther, 
Calvin,  and  Arminius,  were  quoted  to  turn  her  from 
the  truth,  she  had  a  ready  answer  at  hand,  and  a 
higher  authority  to  quote — "  Jesus  I  know,  and  Paul 
I  know  ;  but  who  are  these  ?"  With  a  careful  hand 
the  errors  of  doctrine  and  practice  which  had  crept 
in,  were  removed,  but  nothing  was  touched  which 
could  injure  the  integrity  of  the  Church.  The  vener- 
able edifice  itself  was  left  unaltered.  The  dust  which 
had  settled  upon  it,  obscuring  the  beauty  of  its  archi- 
tecture, was  swept  away — the  deforming  additions 
which  the  hand  of  man  had  made,  were  cut  off — and 
then,  it  stood  forth  as  it  was  in  Primitive  times,  in  its 
ancient  freshness  and  beauty.  The  order  of  her  min- 
istry was  not  interfered  with — all  that  was  pure  and 
ancient  in  her  Liturgy  was  retained — and  from  her  we 
have  derived  the  succession  of  Bishops  and  the  Apos- 


<k' 


-® 


(g) ® 

126  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY. 

tolic  ministry.  Through  her,  therefore,  we  can  trace 
back  our  orders  to  the  days  of  the  Apostles,  and  feel 
that  we  receive  from  them  that  authority  by  which  we 
minister  at  the  altar. 

This,  then,  is  the  simple  historical  account  of  the 
Reformation  of  our  branch  of  the  Church,  and  the 
origin  of  those  who  now  declare,  that  but  one  order 
of  ministers  is  necessary,  and  that  Presbyters  have 
power  to  ordain.  They  date  back  only  for  the  last 
three  hundred  years.  It  was  in  1594 — before  the 
changes  produced  by  the  Reformation  had  subsided 
into  quietness — that  the  learned  Hooker,  while  he  re- 
joiced at  the  happy  lot  of  his  own  Church  in  England, 
as  he  heard  the  assertions  made  by  those  on  the  Con- 
tinent who  discarded  Episcopal  government,  that  their 
own  form  was  primitive,  issued  to  them  this  challenge 
— "  A  very  strange  thing  sure  it  were,  that  such  a 
Discipline  as  ye  speak  of  should  be  taught  by  Christ 
and  His  Apostles  in  the  word  of  God,  and  no  Church 
ever  have  found  it  out,  nor  received  it  till  this  present 
time  ;  contrariwise,  the  government  against  which  ye 
bend  yourselves  be  observed  everywhere  throughout 
all  generations  and  ages  of  the  Christian  world,  no 
Church  ever  perceiving  the  word  of  God  to  be  against 
it.  We  require  you  to  Jind  out  but  one  Church  upon 
the  face  of  the  lohole  earth,  that  hath  been  ordered  by 
your  discipline,  or  hath  not  been  ordered  by  ours,  that 
is  to  say,  by  Eplsopal  regiment,  sithcnce  the  time 
that  the  blessed  Apostles  were  here  conversant."' 
z  Preface  to  Eccles.  Polity,  sect.  4. 

®  ® 


® ® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY.  127 

This  challenge  has  never  )'et  been  answered,  and 
it  is  on  this  point  that  we  rest  our  argument.  If  for 
the  first  1500  years  no  Church  can  be  shown  without 
Episcopal  government,  then  what  authority  had  any, 
at  the  end  of  that  time,  to  form  a  new  ministry  of  their 
own,  setting  aside  that  derived  in  uninterrupted  suc- 
cession from  the  Apostles?' 

a  There  are  two  excuses  generally  made  by  the  followers 
of  the  Continental  Reformers  for  tliis  step.  The  first  is  that 
of  necessity — their  inability  to  procure  orders  from  regularly 
ordained  Bishops.  We  will  answer  this  plea  in  the  words  of 
Bisiiop  VVhittinghain. 

"  It  will  not  be  denied  that  Luther  was  virtually  in  pos- 
session <jC  Episcopal  jurisdiction,  at  Wittemberg,  after  1526  : 
and  Calvin,  at  Geneva,  after  1541.  They  needed  but  to  ob- 
tain the  order,  to  secure  the  Apostolical  succession  at  least. 
....   Could  they  have  obtained  the  order  ? 

"  I.  As  to  Luther.  Several  Bishops  are  known  to  have 
been  favorable  to  'the  -new  learning,'  and  to  its  founder 
personally :  e.  g.,  George  Polentius,  Bishop  of  Sambia,  in 
1524  ;  his  successor,  Paul  Speratus,  1530  ;  (Wernsdorf.  Pro- 
gram, de  Anhaltinorum  in  Ref.  meritis.  p.  1.  s. ;)  Matthew, 
Bishop  of  Bantzig,  who  wrote  to  Luther  in  terms  of  strong 
affection,  and  sent  him  a  present,  in  1529;  (Luther's  Briefe. 
Ep.  1110,  cd.  De  VVette.  IIL  4G2  ;)  Matthew  Jagovius,  Bishop 
of  Bradenburg;  (the  Diocesan  of  Wittemberg ;)  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Salzburg,  who  preceded  Ernest ;  (acccssit,  1540  :) 
and  Herman,  the  famous  reforming  Archbishop  of  Cologne, 
of  whose  liturgical  labors  so  much  use  has  been  made  in  some 
of  the  offices  of  the  English  Church.  It  is  hard  to  believe  that 
if  due  anxiety  had  been  felt,  and  proper  measures  taken,  ihe 
Episcopal  succession  might  not  have  been  obtained  for  the  Lu- 
theran communion  from  some  one  or  more  of  tliese  prelates. 

"II.  As  to  Calvin.    Peter  Paul  Vergerio,  Bishop  of  Capo 

® -® 


® ® 

128  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY. 

We  Avill  briefly  mention  one  fact  more.  The  re- 
ply commonly  made  to  us  is,  that  our  evidence  comes 
through  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  that  this  form  of 
government  is  one  of  the  corruptions  introduced  by 
her.  We  have,  however,  shown  you,  we  think,  most 
fully,  that  it  existed  in  the  earliest  age,  when  the 
Bishop  of  Rome  had  no  more  authority  than  any  other 
Bishop  in  Catholic  Christendom.     But   suppose  that 

d'Istria,  and  more  than  once  Papal  nuncio,  went  over  to  the 
reformed  about  1546.  His  brother,  also  a  Bishop,  followed 
him.  Spifame,  Bishop  of  Nevers,  became  a  Protestant  in 
1557.  He  was  employed  in  important  negotiations,  and  was 
in  Geneva  about  that  time.  He  was  called  to  be  'ministre' 
at  Lyons  in  1561.  (Bayle,  Art.  Spifame.)  Jo.  Anth.  Car- 
accioli,  Bishop  of  Troycs,  publicly  embraced  Protestantism 
in  1561.  He  offered  to  resign  to  the  people,  but  was  re- 
elected and  re-ordained.  (Bayle,  Art.  Caraccioli.)"  JVote 
to  Palmer's  Treatise  on  the  Church,  v.  i.  p.  355. 

The  probability  is,  that  Calvin  being  disheartened  by  the 
repulse  he  supposed  he  had  received  from  the  Church  of 
England,  resigned  himself  to  circumstances,  without  making 
any  further  effort. 

The  second  excuse  made  for  the  Reformers,  is  the  corrup- 
tion of  the  Church.  But  was  it  not  rather  their  duty — as  was 
done  in  England — to  labor  in  the  Church  for  its  reform  .' 
When  the  ancient  prophets  were  forced  to  cry,  "  Help,  Lord, 
for  the  godly  man  ceaseth" — did  they  ever  think  of  going  out 
from  their  people,  and  establishing  a  new  nation,  to  serve 
God  in  greater  purity  .''  The  Eeformers  indeed  have  given 
a  mournful  illustration  of  that  declaration  made  by  Irenseus, 
with  regard  to  the  heretics  of  his  time — "No  correction  can 
be  made  by  them  so  great,  as  is  the  mischief  of  schism." 
Adv.  HtBres.  lib.  iv.  c.  33. 

® ® 


® ; 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    IIISTORV.  129 

a  Church  should  now  be  discovered  in  some  secluded 
corner  of  the  world,  which  had  been  founded  by  the 
Apostles,  and  since  their  day  remained  cut  off  from 
other  Churches,  and  without  ever  having  heard  of  the 
Church  of  Rome;  would  you  not  consider  their  evi- 
dence as  to  the  form  of  government  handed  down  to 
them  from  the  Apostles,  to  be  a  conclusive  argument 
on  this  point?  Yet  precisely  such  an  instance  we 
have.  When  in  the  sixteenth  century  the  Portuguese 
visited  Southern  India,  they  were  agreeably  surprised 
to  find  on  the  coast  of  Malabar,  a  Christian  nation 
with  upwards  of  a  hundred  Churches.  But  when 
they  became  acquainted  with  the  simplicity  and  pu- 
rity of  their  worship,  they  were  offended.  "  These 
Churches,"  said  they,  "  belong  to  the  Pope."  "  JlTio 
is  the  Pope  V — said  the  natives — "  ive  never  heard 
of  him."  The  tradition  handed  down  among  them 
was,  that  their  Church  had  been  founded  by  St. 
Thomas.  They  had  always  maintained  the  order 
and  discipline  of  Episcopal  jurisdiction,  and  for  1300 
years  past  had  enjoyed  a  succession  of  Bishops,  ap- 
pointed by  the  Patriarch  of  Antioch.  "  We" — said 
they — "  are  of  the  true  faith,  whatever  you  from  the 
west  may  be  ;  for  we  come  from  the  place  where  the 
followers  of  Christ  were  first  called  Christians." 

Refusing  to  subscribe  to  the  tenets  of  the  Church 
of  Rome,  or  to  exchange  for  her  form  of  service  the 
pure  liturgy  they  had  inherited,  persecution  was  com- 
menced, and  some  of  their  clergy  seized,  and  devoted 
to  death  as  heretics.     They  were  accused  of  the  fol- 

® (*) 


®- 


-® 


130 


EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY. 


lowing  practices  and  opinions, — which  are,  in  truth, 
some  of  the , points  on  which  we  also  differ  from  the 
Church  of  Rome — "  that  they  had  married  wives  ;  that 
they  owned  but  two  Sacraments,  Baptism  and  the 
Lord's  Supper;  that  they  neither  invoked  Saints,  nor 
worshipped  Images,  nor  believed  in  Purgatory ;  and 
that  they  had  no  other  orders  ornames  of  dignity  in 
the  Church,  than  Bishop,  Priest,  and  Deacon."  The 
Churches  on  the  sea-coast  were  thus  compelled  to 
acknowledge  the  supremacy  of  the  Pope ;  but  they 
still  refused  to  pray  in  Latin,  and  insisted  on  retain- 
ing their  own  language  and  liturgy.  "  This  point," 
— they  said — "  they  would  only  give  up  with  their 
lives."  The  Pope  therefore  compromised  with  them  : 
Menezes  altered  their  liturgy,  but  they  retain  their 
Syriac  language,  and  have  a  Syriac  college  unto  this 
day.  These  are  called  the  Syro-Roman  Churches, 
and  are  principally  situated  on  the  sea-coast.  Not  so 
however  with  those  in  the  interior.  They  refused  to 
yield  to  Rome — proclaimed  eternal  war  against  the 
Inquisition — hid  their  books — fled  to  the  mountains, 
and  sought  the  protection  of  the  Native  Princes,  who 
had  always  been  proud  of  their  alliance. 

Two  centuries  then  elapsed  without  any  definite 
information  being  received  of  their  situation,  and  it 
even  began  to  be  doubted  whether  they  were  still  in 
existence.  In  1806,  however,  Dr.  Buchanan  in  his 
missionary  travels  again  found  them  in  the  interior, 
there  in  poverty  and  purity  maintaining  their  faith  in 
the  seclusion  of  the  wilderness.     The  chain  of  their 


® 


-® 


® ® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY.  131 

Episcopal  ministry  was  still  unbroken,  their  disci- 
pline was  orderly,  and  their  Scriptural  liturgy  pure 
from  the  corruptions  of  Rome.  He  thus  relates  part 
of  a  conversation  which  he  had  with  one  of  their 
Bishops.  "The  Bishop  was  desirous  to  know  some- 
thing of  the  other  Churches  which  had  separated  from 
Rome.  I  was  ashamed  to  tell  him  how  many  they 
were.  I  mentioned,  that  there  was  a  Kashecsha  or 
Presbyter  Church  in  our  own  Kingdom,  in  which 
every  Kasheesha  was  equal  to  another.  '  Are  there  no 
Shumshanas  V  (Deacons  in  holy  orders.)  None. 
'  And  what,  is  there  nobody  to  overlook  the  Kashee- 
shas  V  Not  one.  '  There  must  be  something  imper- 
fect there,'  said  he.""  It  was,  you  perceive,  a  mat- 
ter of  surprise  to  him,  that  a  Church  could  exist 
without  a  Bishop,  and  he  justly  considered  it  as  want- 
ing the  marks  of  its  Apostolicity.  Here  then  is  an 
argument  coming  down  from  Primitive  days  in  a  dif- 
ferent channel. 

Such  then,  brethren,  is  the  historical  evidence.  We 
ask,  therefore,  if  these  three  orders  have  not  been  in 
the  Church  from  the  very  beginning,  when  were  they 
introduced  ?  This  is  a  question,  which  those  opposed 
to  us  have  never  yet  answered.  We  are  told,  in  gen- 
eral terms,  that  at  first  all  ministers  were  of  equal 
rank  and  power  in  the  Church,  but  at  some  period — 
when  they  know  not — some  managed  to  usurp  author- 
ity, and  thus  arose  the  order  of  Bishops,  and  the  Epis- 

b  Buchanan's  Christian  Researches  in  Asia,  pp.  69 — 71, 
84.     Edit.  New-York,  1812. 

®- ® 


® ® 

132  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY. 

copal  government."  And  yet  on  the  page  of  Eccle- 
siastical history  it  is  impossible  to  point  to  a  single 

c  The  only  writer  to  whom  they  can  pretend  to  refer,  is 
Jerome,  a  few  sentences  from  whose  works  they  endeavor 
to  construe  in  their  favor.  In  liis  Epistle  to  Evagrius^  he 
says — "I  hear  that  one  was  so  impudent  as  to  rank  Deacons 
before  Presbyters,  that  is.  Bishops.  Now  the  Apostle  plainly 
declares  the  same  to  be  Presbyters,  who  also  are  Bishops."  In 
his  Comment  on  Titus,  i.  7,  he  writes — "  The  same  therefore 
is  a  Presbyter,  who  also  is  a  Bishop  ;  for  before  by  the  insti- 
gation of  the  Devil,  parties  were  formed  in  religion,  and  it 
was  said  by  the  people,  I  am  of  Paul,  and  I  of  Apollos,  and  I 
of  Cephas,  the  Churches  were  governed  by  the  council  of 
Presbyters.  But  after  some  began  to  consider  those  which 
he  had  baptized  to  be  his  own,  not  Christ's,  it  was  decreed 
throughout  the  whole  world,  that  one  be  elected  who  should 

be  put  over  the  rest  of  the   Presbyters By  degrees, 

(paulatim,)  that  every  sprout  of  dissension  might  be  rooted 
out,  all  the  authority  was  conferred  upon  one  alone.'' 

I.  Let  us,  then,  examine  this  passage,  and  we  shall  find 
it  proves  nothing  against  us.  He  says — 1st.  "The  same 
were  Presbyters,  who  also  were  Bishops."  This  he  himself 
afterwards  explains  when  he  adds — "  Because  in  the  Bishop 
the  Presbyter  is  contained.  We  are  advanced  from  the  less 
to  the  greater."  2d.  When  does  he  say  the  change  took 
place?  "When  people  said,  I  am  of  Paul,  &c." — that  is, 
in  the  very  days  of  the  Apostles.  3d.  He  asserts,  that  fixed 
Bishops  were  introduced  "by  degrees" — this  is  exactly  in 
accordance  with  the  Episcopal  theory.  As  the  Church  ex- 
tended, the  Apostles  could  not  personally  superintend  it,  and 
therefore,  "  by  degrees"  placed  others  over  the  Churches 
with  the  same  power  they  had  themselves  exercised,  as  in- 
creasing dissensions  rendered  it  necessary.  Such  in  brief  is 
his  testimony. 

® ® 


® ® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY.  133 

trace  of  this  great  change.  And  would  the  Church, 
which  contended  so  earnestly  with  regard  to  the  day 
of  celebrating  Easter,  or  the  reiteration  of  the  bap- 
tism of  heretics,  have  passed  it  over  in  total  silence  1 
Every  minute  heresy — every  varying  shade  of  opinion 
which  arose,  is  fully  dwelt  upon  by  the  early  writers, 

II.  He  has  here  a  particular  object  in  view,  to  oppose 
those  who  exalted  Deacons  to  a  level  with  Presbyters.  He 
naturally,  therefore,  uses  strong  language,  exalting  Presbyters 
above  measure.  He  says — "  I  hear  that  one  was  so  impudent 
as  to  rank  Deacons  above  Presbyters,  «&c." 

III.  In  every  other  place,  he  distinctly  upholds  Episco- 
pacy. In  this  very  Epistle,  in  elevating  Presbyters,  he  says 
— "  What  can  a  Bishop  do,  that  a  Presbyter  may  not  do,  ex- 
cept ORDINATION.'"  Thls  is  all  we  ask.  And  again — 
"  James,  after  the  passion  of  our  Lord,  was  immediately,  by  the 
Apostles,  ordained  Bishop  of  Jerusalem,"  (Oper.  t.  IV.  pars 
ii.  p.  102.)  Again — "  The  power  of  wealth,  or  the  lowliness 
of  poverty,  renders  a  Bishop  neither  more  nor  less  exalted  ; 
but  all  are  successors  of  the  Apostles."  {Ibid.  p.  802.)  On 
the  45th  Psalm,  he  says — "  Christ  hath  constituted  Bishops  to 
he  the  chiefs  or  princes  of  the  Church.,  in  all  parts  of  the  world." 
If,  therefore,  he  ever  writes  against  Episcopacy,  he  contra- 
dicts himself. 

IV.  Jerome  personally  could  know  nothing  of  the  matter, 
not  living  until  nearly  three  hundred  years  after  the  death  of 
the  Apostles  We  have  the  record  of  history  through  all  the 
long  interval  between  the  apostles'  and  his  day,  testifying 
with  one  voice  to  the  existence  of  Episcopacy. 

Here  then  is  the  sole  hope  of  the  Presbyterians.  It  is,  of 
course,  impossible  in  this  note  to  do  more  than  glance  at  this 
passage.  The  reader  will  find  it  fully  analyzed  and  discussed 
in  Dr.  Botcden's  Letters  to  Dr.  Miller — Letter  1st  of  1st  Series, 
and  Letter  5th  of  2d  Series.    Also  in  Slater's  Original  Draught. 

7 
® ■ ® 


® (S 

134     EPISCOPACY  PROVED  FROM  HISTORY. 

and  yet — except  those  two  misinterpreted  sentences 
in  Jerome — the  advocates  of  parity  can  find  not  one 
word — not  the  most  distant  hint,  of  this  revolution 
which  they  say  has  taken  place,  and  which  in  that 
case  would  have  entirely  remodelled  the  government 
of  the  whole  Christian  Church  throughout  the  world. 
We  ask  you,  then,  whether  this  is  probable  ?  "  When 
I  shall  see" — says  Chillingworth — "  all  the  fables  in 
the  metamorphosis  acted,  and  prove  true  stories;  when 
I  shall  see  all  the  democracies  and  aristocracies  in  the 
world  lie  down  and  sleep,  and  awake  into  monarchies  ; 
then  will  I  begin  to  believe,  that  presbyterial  govern- 
ment, having  continued  in  the  Church  during  the 
Apostles'  times,  should  presently  after,  (against  the 
Apostles'  doctrine,  and  the  will  of  Christ,)  be  whirled 
about  like  a  scene  in  a  mask,  and  transformed  into 
Episcopacy.'"^ 

Again — Is  it  in  accordance  with  human  nature, 
that  all  the  clergy  of  the  Church,  in  every  country 
throughout  the  world,  should  simultaneously  have 
given  up  their  rights,  and  submitted  themselves  to 
some  among  their  number,  thus  creating  the  Episco- 
pal authority ;  and  that  all  this  should  have  been 
acquiesced  in  by  each  one  so  quietly,  and  performed 
so  silently,  that  history  nowhere  notices  the  change  1 
"  Imagine," — says  Chillingworth  again — "  that  the 
spirit  of  Diotrephes  had  entered  into  some,  or  a 
great  many  of  the  Presbyters,  and  possessed  them 
with  an  ambitious  desire  of  a  forbidden  superiority, 
d  Works,  p.  52.5. 

® ■ ® 


® ® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY.  135 

was  it  possible  they  should  attempt  and  achieve  it  at 
once  without  any  opposition  or  contradiction  ?  And 
besides,  that  the  contagion  of  this  ambition  should 
spread  itself  and  prevail  without  stop  or  control ; 
nay,  without  any  noise  or  notice  taken  of  it,  through 
all  the  Churches  in  the  world  ;  all  the  watchmen  in 
the  meantime  being  so  fast  asleep,  and  all  the  dogs  so 
dumb,  that  not  so  much  as  one  should  open  his  mouth 
against  it?"" 

Why,  try  this  argument  by  what  would  happen 
under  like  circumstances  in  this  day.  Suppose  that 
in  a  single,  widely  extended  denomination  of  those 
around  us,  now  holding  to  an  equality  in  the  ministry, 
it  should  be  proposed,  to  make  this  change — that  a 
few  should  be  invested  with  the  authority  of  Bishops, 
and  all  the  rest  yield  to  them  in  obedience — how  long, 
do  you  think,  it  would  take  to  produce  this  alteration  ? 
And  how  quietly  would  it  be  done  1  Why,  protest 
after  protest  would  be  entered  against  it — their  fold 
would  be  rent  asunder  with  dissensions — and  it  would 
be  found  recorded  upon  the  page  of  their  history,  that 
this  was  for  years  the  absorbing  topic  of  debate.  And 
yet  they  tell  us,  that  such  a  change  did  once  actually 
take  place  in  ancient  times,  and  history  has  preserved 
no  evidence  of  it.  No,  brethren,  such  arguments 
bear  with  them  their  own  refutation.  Human  nature 
then  was  precisely  what  it  is  now,  and  in  similar  cir- 
cumstances would   have   acted  as  it  now  does      We 

c  Ibid.  p.  524. 
® ® 


® ® 

136  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY. 

know,  therefore,  that  this  power  of  the  Episcopate 
must  have  been  from  the  very  beginning — must  have 
been  sanctioned  by  Apostolical,  nay,  by  Divine  au- 
thority— or  it  never  would  have  been  acquiesced  in, 
during  any  later  age. 

And  now,  I  submit  the  truth  of  Episcopacy  to  your 
judgment,  as  a  matter  of  fact.  I  appeal  away  from 
your  passions  and  your  prejudices,  and  resting  this 
subject  on  its  historical  evidence,  I  bring  it  to  the  bar 
of  your  reason.  And  think  not  that  this  is  a  doctrine 
held  only  by  a  small  minority.  Nine-tenths  of  those 
who  bear  the  Christian  name  cling  to  it,  and  avow 
their  belief  in  the  three-fold  ministry  as  handed  down 
from  the  Apostles'  days.*^  Our  own  Church,  with  her 
21  Bishops,  and  her  1200  clergy,  scattered  through 
the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land,  everywhere  main- 
tains it.     So  does  the  Church  of  England,  planted  as 

f  Malte-brun,  in  his  Geography,  (vol.   i.  p.  273),  has  the 

following  estimate  of  the  Christian  population  of  tlie  world  -. 

rri      f>i        I      r -D  C  in  Europe,  88  millions,  )    -.^^      -n' 

The  Church  of  Rome,  ?       ^    f-.i  no   ll      i    116  mill  s. 

'  (  out  01  Lurope,  28   "       ) 

The  Greek  Church, 70      " 

Tiie  Protestant  Churches,       -         .         -         -  42      " 

Total,  228  " 
Now,  out  of  the  42  millions  of  Protestants,  we  may  safely 
set  down  one  half  as  belonging  to  these  branches  of  the 
Church — such  as  the  Church  in  England  and  its  colonies, 
Denmark,  this  country,  and  among  the  Moravians — which 
acknowledge  Episcopal  government.  This  leaves,  therefore, 
21  millions  of  Dissenters,  out  of  228  millions — less  than  one- 
tenth. 

I (S) 


® ® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY.  137 

she  is  in  every  clime  and  on  every  shore. ^  The 
Church  of  Rome,  amidst  all  the  corruptions  she  has 
admitted,  has  in  this  point  remained  steadfast  to  an- 
cient truth.  The  many  millions  of  the  Greek  Church, 
spread  through  the  East,  have  never  doubted  it,  while 
the  decayed  Oriental  Churches  of  Syria,  Asia  Minor, 
and  Ethiopia,  have  even  in  their  fallen  state  found  in 
their  government,  the  sole  preservative  for  the  little 
spark  of  life  which  yet  remains.  Only  a  small  portion 
of  the  Christian  world  therefore  dissents.'' 

g  "  The  Cliurch  of  England,  in  the  preface  to  the  Ordi- 
nation Services,  has  these  express  words  :  '  It  is  evident  unto 
ail  men  diligently  reading  the  Holy  Scripture  and  ancient 
authors,  that  from  the  Apostles'  time  there  have  been  these 
orders  of  Ministers  in  Christ's  Church — Bishops,  Priests,  and 
Deacons,  <tc.'  .  .  .  And  it  is  on  this  account  that,  if  a  cler- 
gyman of  the  Roman  Communion  does  in  this  country  join 
himself  to  the  English  Church,  his  ordination  is  accounted 
good  and  valid,  because  the  Roman  Church  has  Episcopal 
ordination,  and  an  Apostolical  Ministry.  He  is  not  ordained 
over  again,  but  simply  licensed  by  a  Bishop  to  teach  and 
preach  in  his  Diocese.  Whereas,  if  a  Protestant  dissenter, 
who  has  been  accustomed  to  call  himself  a  minister  of  the 
Gospel,  repents  of  his  schism,  and  is  anxious  to  become  a 
clergyman,  the  English  Church  considers  him  merely  as  a 
layman,  and  not  as  a  minister  of  the  Gospel  ;  and  makes  him 
a  clergyman  by  Episcopal  ordination."  Faber's  Tract  on  '  The 
one  Catholic  and  JlpostoUc  Church,'  p.  18. 

h  There  is  a  body  of  Christians,  called  "  Methodist  Epis- 
copal," which  we  have  not  included  in  this  list,  because,  al- 
though they  have  the  office  of  Bishop,  yet  it  is  in  name  only, 
and  without  any  legitimate  authority.  This  sect,  it  is  well 
known,  was  founded  about  1730,  by  John  Wesley,  who  was 

® ® 


® ® 

138  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY. 

Let  us  cling  then  to  this,  as  a  precious  inheritance 
which  has  come  down  to  us  through  1800  years. 

only  a  Presbyter  in  the  Church  of  England.  After  professing 
through  his  whole  life  that  lie  did  not  intend  to  abandon  the 
Church,  or  create  a  schism,  when  82  years  old  he  was  induced 
to  lay  hands  on  Dr.  Coke,  and  thus  pretend  to  consecrate  him 
a  Bishop  for  America.  On  this  act,  his  brother,  Charles 
Wesley,  makes  these  remarks — "  How  was  he  surprised  into 
so  rash  an  action .'....  He  has  renounced  the  yrinciples  and 
practices  of  his  whole  life  ;  acted  contrary  to  all  his  declara- 
tions, protestations,  and  writings  ;  robbed  his  friends  of  their 
boasting ;  realized  the  Nag's  Head  ordination  ;  and  left  an  in- 
delible blot  on  his  name,  as  long  as  it  shall  be  remembered.  .  .  . 
What  will  become  of  these  poor  sheep  in  the  wilderness,  the 
American  Methodists  ?  How  have  they  been  betrayed  into 
a  separation  from  the  Church  of  England,  which  their  preach- 
ers and  they  no  more  intended,  than  the  Methodists  here  ? 
Had  they  had  patience  a  little  longer,  they  would  have  seen 
A  REAL  Primitive  Bishop  in  America,  duly  consecrated  by 
three  Scotch  Bishops  [referring  to  Bishop  Seabury]."  '■'■His 
ordination  wovldbc  indeed  genuine,  valid,  and  Episcopal." 

Dr.  Coke  himself  felt  his  ordination  to  be  invalid,  and  often 
by  his  acts  admitted  it.  For  instance,  in  1791,  he  applied  to 
Bishop  White  for  the  Methodist  Society  to  be  received  into 
the  Church,  and  their  preachers  rc-ordained,  thus  acknow- 
ledging the  invalidity  of  their  ordination  received  from  him. 
(See  his  letter  in  Bp.  White's  Memoirs  of  the  Church,  p.  345.) 
In  a  subsequent  interview  he  suggested  that  he  himself  should 
he  elevated  to  the  Episcopate,  (p.  170.)  Still  later  in  the  same 
year,  he  made  a  similar  proposal  to  Bishop  Seabury.  (See 
this  letter  in  Banner  of  the  Cross,  May  27, 1843.)  Eight  years 
afterwards  he  made  written  application  to  the  Bishop  of  Lon- 
don to  ordain  some  travelling  preachers  in  England,  to  ad- 
minister the  Sacraments  to  their  people.     Again,  in  1813  he 

® ® 


® ® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY.  139 

Every  thing  else  has  altered,  but  the  government  which 
our  Lord  instituted  in  His  Church  is  still  unchanged. 
Century  after  century  the  dark  and  troublous  stream 
of  Time  has  swept  by,  its  waters  choked  with  the 
wrecks  of  all  that  earth  admires.  Nations  and  peo- 
ples— courts  and  dynasties,  have  played  their  part,  and 
then  been  seen  no  more.  The  mighty  monarchies  of 
the  Elder  World  have  long  since  passed  away — the 
kingdoms  which  were  the  early  cotemporaries  of  the 
Church — those  which  beheld  the  dawn  of  her  youth 
— now  live  only  on  the  page  of  History.  Yet  she  still 
rides  the  waves,  and  as  she  passed  along,  has  made 

made  tlie  greatest  efforts  to  procure  consecration  for  liimself 
as  a  Bishop  of  tlie  Cliiircli,  to  be  sent  to  India,  writing  a  most 
extraordinary  letter  to  Wilberforcc,  setting  forth  his  own  good 
qualities.  (See  this  in  Wilberforce's  Correspondence^  v.  i., 
date,  April  14,  1813.)  He  offers  "  to  return  most  fully  and 
faithfully  into  the  bosom  of  the  Established  Church,  and  do 
every  thing  in  his  power  to  promote  its  interests,  and  submit 
to  all  such  restrictions  in  the  fulfilment  of  his  office,  as  the 
government  and  the  bench  of  Bishops  at  home  should  think 
necessary."  Failing  in  this,  he  was  obliged  to  settle  down 
for  life  with  the  conviction  that  his  office  was  a  pretence,  and 
his  Episcopal  shield  deformed  by  the  bend  sinister. 

Thus,  then,  stands  the  case.  Wesley  attempted  to  invest 
Dr.  Coke  with  an  office  which  he  had  no  authority  to  confer. 
Coke  ordained  Asbury,  and  from  him  all  the  Methodist 
preachers  in  this  country  derive  their  ordination.  But  As- 
bury was  of  course  nothing  but  a  layman  through  life,  and 
therefore  those  on  whom  he  laid  hands  are  in  the  same  con- 
dition. Such,  then,  is  ftlethodism  in  this  country — icithout 
a  Church  or  a  ministry. 

® ® 


® ® 

140  EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY. 

all  tributaries  to  herself — gathering  from  each  spoils 
to  enrich  her  Master — ^jewels  to  gleam  in  His  unfad- 
ing diadem.  With  her  hopes  now  just  as  bright  and 
glorious  as  ever,  she  remains  in  her  organization  what 
she  was  in  the  Apostles'  days.  The  same  Episcopal 
government  which  Timothy  then  exercised  at  Ephe- 
sus,  and  Titus  in  Crete,  and  which  they  "  committed 
to  faithful  men,"  is  now  with  us  in  this  distant  land, 
of  whose  very  existence  they  were  ignorant. 

We  feel,  then,  that  as  members  of  this  Church  we 
belong  to  a  cause  which  in  the  end  must  triumph. 
"  The  heathen  may  rage,  and  the  people  imagine  a 
vain  thing, — the  kings  of  the  earth  may  stand  up,  and 
the  rulers  take  counsel  together,"  yet  the  Church 
they  cannot  overcome.  "  There  shall  no  divination 
prosper  against  Israel."  He  who  is  its  Protector 
"  shall  laugh  them  to  scorn,  and  its  Lord  shall  have 
them  in  derision."  Yes,  brethren,  the  past  may  be 
with  us  a  pledge  for  the  future.  If  for  eighteen  cen- 
turies the  Apostolic  Church  has  breasted  the  storm, 
and  uninjured,  unchanged,  come  down  to  us — if  now 
we  trace  in  every  lineament,  that  here  is  the  same 
Church  which  existed  in  "  our  fathers'  days,  and  in 
the  old  time  before  them" — then,  we  may  believe, 
that  thus  she  shall  continue  to  go  on  in  the  greatness 
of  her  strength,  until  the  trumpet  of  the  archangel 
proclaims,  that  her  warfare  on  earth  is  accomplished. 
Her  ancient  ministry  shall  never  be  wanting.  Her 
holy  succession  of  Bishops  shall  be  uninterrupted,  till 
the  last  who  bears  that  sacred  office  stands  amidst  the 

® ® 


® ® 

EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY.  141 

ruins  of  a  crumbling  world.'  Unless  it  shall  be  so, 
what  meant  our  Lord's  parting  promise  to  His  Apos- 
tles— "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  always,  even  unto  the  end 
of  the  world?"  It  could  not  have  been  restricted  to 
those  only  who  heard  it,  for  they  have  long  since  pass- 
ed away.  Unless  then  they  left  their  successors,  who 
are  to  keep  up  the  unbroken  chain  "  even  unto  the 
end  of  the  world,"  we  know  not  who  are  to  inherit 
the  benefits  which  our  Master's  words  seem  to  pro- 
mise. 

Are  we  then  united  with  this  Church — not  only 
outwardly,  but  also  in  heart  and  spirit  1  Are  we 
sharing  in  her  trials  here,  that  we  may  partake  of  her 
triumph  hereafter  ?  Shall  we  in  the  hour  of  her  glory 
stand  with  her  upon  the  holy  mountain,  and  help  to 
upraise  that  anthem  which  the  redeemed  shall  sing 
forever  ?  Christian  warrior  !  the  conflict  is  waging 
around  you — the  Church  is  summoning  you  to  her  aid 
— the  voices  of  Apostles,  and  martyrs,  and  confessors, 
come  down  to  you  from  the  ages  of  a  distant  antiqui- 
ty, urging  you  to  live  for  this  cause   for  which  they 

i  "  Remarkable  and  positive  promises  clearly  establish  the 
perpetuity  of  the  Church  ;  and  it  may  be  also  inferred  easily 
from  the  promise  made  to  the  faithful  servant,  whom  the  Lord 
should  set  over  his  household  :  '  Blessed  is  tliat  servant  whom 
liis  Lord,  ichen  He  comcth,  shall  find  so  doing.'  In  which 
words  it  is  intimated,  that  when  Christ  shall  come  in  the  latter 
day,  he  shall,  even  then,  find  faithful  servants  presiding  over 
his  own  household,  still  existing  upon  the  earth."  Palmer's 
Treatise  on  the  Church,  v.  i.  p.  31. 
ry* 

® ® 


® 


-® 


142 


EPISCOPACY    PROVED    FROM    HISTORY. 


were  willing  even  to  die.  Will  you  turn  away  from 
this  appeal  ?  Will  you  prove  recreant  to  this  high 
trust  ?  Your  daily,  hourly  life,  is  furnishing  the  an- 
swer. 


® 


•® 


®- 


-® 


ANTIQUITY  OF  FORMS  OF  PRAYER. 


Then,  fainting  soul,aiiso  and  sin^, 
Mount,  but  be  sober  on  the  wing; 
Mount  up,  for  Heaven  is  won  by  prayer, 
Be  sober  if irr  thou  art  not  there. 

Keble. 


®- 


-® 


® 


-® 


IV. 


ANTIQUITY  or  FORMS   OF  PRAYER. 


The  foundation  of  all  true  devotion  is  reverence. 
Remembering  the  lowliness  of  our  own  state,  and 
the  awful  majesty  of  Him  in  whose  presence  our 
petitions  are  uttered,  our  spirits  should  be  bowed 
within  us,  and  we  realize  while  in  His  sanctuary, 
that  "  this  is  none  other  but  the  House  of  God,  and 
this  is  the  gate  of  Heaven."  The  question  then  in- 
voluntarily rises  to  our  lips — "  Wherewith  shall  I  come 
before  the  Lord,  and  bow  myself  before  the  high 
God?"*  And  the  answer  which  Scripture  gives  us, 
is  in  these  words  of  caution — "  Be  not  rash  with  thy 
mouth,  and  let  not  thy  heart  ba  hasty  to  utter  any 
thing  before  God ;  for  God  is  in  Heaven,  and  thou 
upon  earth  :  therefore  let  thy  words  be  few."'' 

In  the  spirit  of  this  exhortation  the  Church  has 
always    acted,  when   she   prescribed    a   Liturgy,   by 


a  Micah  vi.  6. 


b  Ecclcs.  V.  2. 


® 


® 


® ® 

146  ANTIQUITY    OF    FORMS    OF    PRAYER. 

which  her  members  in  their  public  assemblies  were 
commanded  to  worship  God,  instead  of  trusting  to 
the  extemporaneods  effusions  of  the  moment.  And 
this  is  a  peculiarity  which  still  marks  her  services, 
and  which,  perhaps,  more  forcibly  than  any  thing 
else  would  strike  a  casual  observer.  In  her  public 
devotions,  he  finds  every  thing  definitely  arranged  and 
settled,  while  in  the  different  denominations  around 
her  the  prayers  are  left  to  be  composed  as  they  are 
uttered,  by  him  who  may  happen  to  minister  to  them. 
As,  therefore,  the  charge  is  often  made,  that  to  have 
an  established  ritual  for  public  worship  leads  neces- 
sarily to  coldness  and  formality,  an  examination  of 
this  subject  is  one  which  is  interesting  to  us  as 
Churchmen. 

The  first  and  most  natural  inquiry  is,  as  to  the 
the  authority  for  a  Liturgy.  Is  it  sanctioned  by 
Scripture — by  the  example  of  our  Lord — and  the 
custom  of  the  early  Church  ?  If  so,  surely  none  can 
now  object  to  it  as  wrong  or  even  inexpedient.  What 
our  Lord  authorized  by  his  own  example,  and  the 
Church  in  her  first  and  purest  ages  continued  to  prac- 
tise, it  may  be  safe  for  us  to  follow.  We  certainly 
cannot  do  better  than  tread  in  their  footsteps. 

Our  first  argument  then  is — that  the  entire  icor- 
ship  of  the  Jeicish  Church,  as  commanded  hy  God, 
and  as  practised  for  ages,  ivas  in  prescribed  forms. 
On  every  occasion  in  which  the  people  were  required 
with  one  voice  to  offer  their  praises  to  God,  or  to 

® ® 


® ® 

ANTIQUITY  OF  FORMS  OF  PRAYER.       147 

entreat  his  forgiveness,  we  find  them  doing  so  in  the 
words  of  a  previously  written  form. 

Thus,  when  the  Israelites  had  passed  the  Red 
Sea  in  safety,  and  paused  awhile  upon  their  march 
to  chant  their  song  of  victory,  we  find  their  leader 
composing  for  them  that  noble  ode,  which  the  Holy 
Ghost  compares  with  the  Heavenly  song  of  those 
who  have  obtained  the  last  great  triumph  over  all 
spiritual  enemies — the  once  suffering,  now  ransomed 
followers  of  the  Lamb."  "  It  was  fitted  for  alternate 
recitation,  with  musical  accompaniments."''  Moses 
begins  the  song,  and  in  the  first  two  hemistichs  states 
its  object — 

"  Sing  ye  to  the  Lord,  for  He  hath  triumphed  gloriously  ; 
The  horse  and  his  rider  hath  He  tlirown  into  the  sea." 

And  we  learn  from  v.  21,  that  these  two  lines  be- 
came the  grand  chorus  of  the  piece,  and  were  probably 
repeated  at  intervals,  after  the  people  had  recited 
each  mercy  bestowed  upon  their  nation.  "  And 
Miriam  answered  them — 

"  Sing  ye  to  the  Lord,  for  He  hath  triumphed  gloriously  ; 
The  horse  and  his  rider  hath  He  thrown  into  the  sea."'^ 

0  "  And  I  saw  as  it  were  a  sea  of  glass  mingled  with  fire  : 
and  them  that  had  gotten  the  victory  over  the  beast,  and  over 
his  image,  and  over  his  mark,  and  over  the  number  of  his 
name,  stand  on  the  sea  of  glass,  having  the  harps  of  God. 
And  they  sing  the  song  of  Moses  the  servant  of  God,  and  the 
song  of  the  Lamb."     Rev.  xv.  2,  3. 

d  Bishop  Jebb's  Sacred  Literature,  p.  10. 

c  This  is  the  view  given  by  Dr.  Kennicott  in  liis  arrange- 

® — — -® 


® ■ ® 

148      ANTIQUITY  OF  FORMS  OF  PRAYER. 

This  song  was,  therefore,  used  responsively,  in  the 
same  way  in  which  we  now  recite  the  Psalter  in  our 
service. 

When  again,  in  the  wilderness,  their  public 
worship  was  arranged  by  the  express  commands  of 
God,  we  find  that  forms  were  provided  for  every 
occasion.  Thus,  Aaron  and  his  sons  are  enjoined 
to  use  these  words  in  blessing  the  people — "  On  this 
wise  ye  shall  bless  the  children  of  Israel.  The  Lord 
bless  thee  and  keep  thee  ;  the  Lord  make  His  face 
to  shine  upon  thee,  and  be  gracious  unto  thee  ;  the 
Lord  lift  up  His  countenance  upon  thee,  and  give 
thee  peace."  This  was  the  authorized  form  of  bene- 
diction, and  the  declaration  is  added — "  They  shall 
put  my  name,  saith  the  Lord,  upon  the  children  of 
Israel,  and  I  will  bless  them."     (Num.  vi.  24,  27.) 

In  the  Book  of  Deuteronomy,  are  recorded  various 
forms  to  be  used  by  the  people  on  different  public 
solemnities.  Such  is  the  confession  the  Israelite  was 
to  make  when  offering  the  basket  of  first-fruits — 
"  And  thou  shalt  speak  and  say  before  the  Lord  thy 
God,  A  Syrian  ready  to  perish  was  my  father,  &>c." 
(xxvi.  5-11.)  Such  also  is  the  prayer  he  was  to  use, 
when  offering  his  third  year's  tithes — "  Then  thou 
shalt  say  before  the  Lord  thy  God,  &-c."  (v.  12-15.) 
With  equal  accuracy  is  prescribed  the  form  of  depre- 
cation, to  be  uttered  by  the  elders   of  a   city  near 

ment  of  this  song,  and  also  by  Bishop  Lowth.  Pralect  19. 
Tliey  show  the  ditlerent  intervals  at  which  the  chorus  proba- 
bly came  in. 

® ® 


® (5) 

ANTIQUITY  OF  FORMS  OF  PRAYER.       149 

which  a  murder  had  been  committed,  in  protesting 
i  their  own  innocence — "  Our  hands  have  not  shed 
this  blood  ;  neither  have  our  eyes  seen  it.  Be  merci- 
ful, O  Lord,  unto  thy  people  Israel,  whom  thou  hast 
redeemed;  and  lay  not  innocent  blood  to  thy  people 
of  Israel's  charge."  (xxi.  v.  7.) 

Thus,  by  examining  the  ancient  books  of  the  law,  we 
could  show  that  provision  was  made  for  every  portion 
of  their  regular  services.  And  on  extraordinary  oc- 
casions it  is  evident  that  something  was  in  like  man- 
ner written  for  their  use,  to  meet  the  exigency.  Such 
was  the  case  with  the  prayer  of  Solomon  at  the  dedi- 
cation of  the  Temple,  a  copy  of  which  was  preserved 
among  the  records  of  the  nation.  "  The  regular 
construction  of  the  whole  prayer,  the  formal  division 
of  the  subject,  together  with  the  continued  series  and 
almost  poetical  arrangement  of  the  versicles  in  the 
original,  scarcely  seem  compatible  with  extempora- 
neous devotion,  and  obviously  suggest  the  idea  of 
previous  composition.'"^ 

But  let  us  look  at  the  usual  worship  of  the  Temple, 
and  of  what  did  it  consist  ?  From  the  minute  ac- 
counts of  the  Hebrew  Rabbis  which  have  come 
down  to  us,  we  learn  that  it  was  composed  of  the 
Sacrifices,  Liturgical  Compositions,  and  Psalms.® 
But   it  is  evident,  that  the  Psalms  are  nothing  but 

f  Sinclair's  Dissertation,  p.  8. 

g  The  reader  will  find  the  whole  service,  with  its 
prayers  and  arrangement  of  Psalms,  accurately  given  by 
Liglitfoot,  in  his  Temple  Service,  ch.  7,  p.  59. 

® ® 


® ® 

150      ANTIQUITY  OF  FORMS  OF  PRAYER. 

forms  of  prayer,  and  are  in  most  cases  direct  and 
solemn  addresses  to  the  Supreme  Being.  In  this 
way  they  were  used  in  the  Jewish  Church,  and  we 
can  often  learn  from  their  titles  alone,  that  they  were 
appointed  to  be  recited  by  the  congregation  on  parti- 
cular days.  This  collection  was  probably  first  ar- 
ranged definitely  by  King  David,  who  added  so  much, 
as  to  gain  for  himself  the  title  of  "  the  sweet  singer 
of  Israel."  It  was  afterwards  remodelled  by  Heze- 
kiah,  of  whom  it  is  said — "  Moreover,  Hezekiah  the 
king,  and  the  princes,  commanded  the  Levites  to 
sing  praises  unto  the  Lord,  ivith  the  ivords  of  David 
and  of  Asaph  the  seer ;  and  they  sang  praises  with 
gladness,  and  they  bowed  their  heads  and  worship- 
ped.'"' The  last  changes  in  the  Psalmody  of  the 
nation  were  made  by  Ezra,  after  the  captivity.  Did 
then  the  adoption  of  these  devotional  services  lead  to 
mere  formality  ?  If  so,  why  is  not  the  same  effect 
produced  upon  those  who  now  can  address  the  Deity 
in  metrical  hymns,  yet  whose  scruples  prevent  them 
from  using  a  form  if  it  be  in  prose  ?' 


h  2  Chron.  xxis.  30. 

i  "  Unless  it  can  be  proved  that  the  fault  and  evil  which 
is  essential  to  a  form  in  prose,  is  entirely  removed  if  the 
substance  of  the  obnoxious  form  be  expressed  in  metre  and 
chime — 

Crito  freely  will  rehearse 
Forms  of  prayer  and  praise  in  verse  : 
Why  should  Crito  tlien  suppose 
Forms  are  sinful  when  in  prose  ? 

® — ® 


® ® 

ANTIQUITY  OF  FORMS  OF  PRAYER.       151 

But  this  is  not  all.  We  have  direct  evidence 
that  at  various  periods  during  the  existence  of  the 
Jewish  nation,  their  prophets  and  holy  men  com- 
posed prayers  to  be  used  in  their  public  worship. 
Thus,  after  the  return  from  Babylon,  Ezra  prepared 
eighteen  collects,  for  confession,  supplication,  thanks- 
giving, and  intercession.  These,  under  the  title  of 
Ezra's  Benedictions,  are  still  found  in  the  Prayer 
Books  of  the  Jews.  Maimonides,  a  learned  Rabbi, 
says — "  Ezra  composed  these  eighteen  forms  of 
prayer  which  were  enjoined  by  the  great  council : 
that  every  man  might  have  them  in  his  mouth,  and 
be  perfect  in  them,  and  that  thereby  the  prayers  of  the 
rude  and  ignorant  might  be  as  complete  as  those  of 
a  more  eloquent  tongue."  And  then,  after  stating  the 
custom  which  prevailed,  that  the  people  should  say 
"  Amen  "  at  the  conclusion,  he  adds — "  This  is  only 
in  those  cases  where  the  people  are  not  perfect  in  the 
prayers,  and  cannot  say  the  same  by  heart ;  for  they 
who  can  repeat  the  prayers,  do  not  discharge  their 
duty  as  they  ought,  in  case  they  themselves  do  not 
pray  with  the  public  minister. "J  These  prayers  have 
all  been  translated  by  Dr.  Prideaux,  and  are  to  be 
found  in  his  Connection  of  Scripture  History} 

Rlust  my  form  be  deemed  a  crime 
Merely  for  tlie  want  of  rhyme  ?" 

JVeicton's  Apologia,  p.  14. 

j  Maimon.  apud  Sold,  in  Eutycli.  Alex.  p.  43. 
k  Part  1,  book  vi.  p.  375. 

® — ® 


® _- — ___ . . -® 

152      ANTIQUITY  OF  FORMS  OF  PRAYER. 

And  so  it  was  also  in  the  worship  of  the  Syna- 
gogue. The  service  there  clifTered  somewhat  from 
that  of  the  Temple,  for  no  sacrifices  were  offered  up. 
It  consisted  of  three  parts  :  prayers,  reading  of  the 
Scriptures,  and  preaching  from  them.  Here  also  the 
prayers  were  by  stated  forms,  the  most  solemn  and 
ancient  of  which  were  the  prayers  of  Ezra.'  To 
these — as  we  learn  from  Justin  Martyr — they  added, 
just  before  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem,  a  nineteenth 
collect,  praying  against  the  new  sect  of  the  Nazarenes, 
whom  they  denominated  apostates  and  heretics.'" 

In  addition,  as  we  are  informed  by  Jewish  writers, 
their  Ritual  provided  for  all  those  occurrences  which 
mark  the  changes  in  domestic  life — for  those  solem- 
nities of  their  religion  which  were  performed  at  home 
— for  times  of  joy  and  sorrow — for  the  Passover — 
the  marriage  and  the  burial."  And  many  of  these 
had  been  handed  down  from  a  remote  antiquity.  The 
Samaritan  Chronicle  speaks  of  a  book  of  prayers  used 
by  the  Jews  at  their  sacrifices,  "  from  the  time  of  their 
legate  Moses  until  that  day;""  and  Josephus  asserts, 
that  at  the  period  in  which  he  lived,  the  sect  of  the 
Essenes  made  use  of  prayers  "  received  traditionally 
from  their  fathers."''  Nor  has  the  lapse  of  eighteen 
centuries  entirely  changed  their  customs.     Could  you 

1  Bingham's  Orig.  Eccles.  lib.  xiii.  cliap.  5,  sect.  4. 

m  Dial,  cum  Tryph.  p.  335. 

n  Sinclair's  Dissertation,  p.  10. 

o  Ibid.  p.  11. 

p  De  Bcllo  Jud.  lib.  ii.  chap.  12. 

®— ® 


® ® 

ANTIQUITY    OF    FORMS    OF    PRAYER.  153 

now  meet  with  the  feeble,  dispersed  remnant  of  Israel, 
scattered  as  they  are  throughout  all  the  world,  yet 
everywhere  cleaving  to  their  forefathers'  rites — could 
you  see  them  in  their  private  services,  or  when  on  the 
Seventh  Day  they  have  gathered  in  their  Synagogues — 
you  would  hear  the  same  words  of  the  Hebrew  Psalter 
chanted  forth,  and  the  same  ancient  prayers  of  their 
Liturgy  offered  up,  with  which  two  thousand  years 
ago  their  fathers  worshipped,  in  the  days  of  their 
pride  and  power.''  We  perceive  then  how  fully  estab- 
lished under  the  Old  Dispensation,  and  how  entirely 
authorized  by  God — nay,  especially  commanded  by 
Ilim — was  the  use  of  forms  of  prayer.  If,  then,  these 
were  enjoined  upon  the  Jew,  is  it  wrong  in  the  Chris- 
tian in  this  way  to  worship  the  same  God  1 

But  the  Old  Dispensation,  we  are  answered,  was 
a  day  of  rites  and  ceremonies — a  day  when  the  human 
mind  was  in  bondage,  "  subject  to  ordinances."  We 
are  directed  to  look  to  the  coming  of  our  Lord  for 
that  spiritual  freedom  which  was  then  bestowed  upon 
the  world.  He  was  indeed  our  Great  Exemplar,  and 
we  may  well  mark  His  course,  as  He  travelled  on  in 
His  earthly  pilgrimage,  and  in  all  respects  humbly 
walk  in  His  footsteps.  Can  we  then  gather  any  thing 
from  His  life  to  aid  us  in  this  investigation  ?  We  can  ; 
and  therefore  we  set  forth  the  argument,  that  the  use 
of  forms  of  prayer  in  public  worshij)  was  sanctioned 

q  See  the  Prayers  of  the  Jews  as  they  are  now  used, 
translated  in  Horncs  Introd.  to  Scrip,  v.  iii.  p.  250-3. 

® ® 


® ® 

154      ANTIQUITY  OF  FORMS  OF  PRAYER. 

hy  our  Lord  lohile  on  earth,  both  by  precept  and  ex- 
ample. 

We  have  already  shown  you,  that  the  worship  of 
the  Jews,  both  in  the  Temple  and  the  Synagogue, 
was  according  to  a  prescribed  Liturgy.  And  yet  our 
Lord  always  attended  these  services,  and  scrupulously 
joined  in  their  public  devotions.  On  all  the  great 
Feasts  He  went  up  to  Jerusalem  with  His  disciples, 
while  Sabbath  after  Sabbath  He  appeared  so  regular- 
ly in  the  Synagogue,  that  His  watchful  enemies,  while 
seeking  every  occasion  to  charge  Him  with  opposition 
to  the  Law,  never  brought  forward  the  accusation  of 
neglecting  their  appointed  worship.  But  had  there 
been  any  thing  wrong  in  the  manner  in  which  this 
was  performed — had  the  Liturgical  Service  been 
merely  a  corruption  introduced  by  the  Scribes  and 
Pharisees — would  He,  think  you,  have  been  backward 
in  denouncing  the  innovation,  and  restoring  the  ser- 
vice to  its  ancient  simplicity  ?  No,  brethren,  had 
there  been  coldness  or  formality  in  this  custom,  the 
same  zeal  which  led  our  Master  to  drive  from  the 
Temple  "  the  money  changers  and  those  that  sold 
doves,"  would  have  impelled  Him  also  to  rebuke  the 
priests  for  the  want  of  spirituality  in  their  worship. 
But  he  did  not  :  on  the  contrary  He  fully  counte- 
nanced it,  and  therefore  it  cannot  be  wrong  or  inex- 
pedient. 

In  that  solemn  hour,  too,  when  the  Paschal  Supper 
was  just  closing,  and  our  Lord  "  sang  a  hymn"  with 
His  disciples,  before  He  went  forth  to  the  last  scene 

® ® 


® ® 

I 

ANTIQUITY  OF  FORMS  OF  PRAYER.       155  j 

of  His  trial  and  agony,  we  know  from  the  voice  of  j 
tradition  and  the  concurrence  of  all  antiquity,  that  he  \ 
adopted,  as  was  natural,  the  particular  form  always  j 
made  use  of  by  the  Jews  at  the  end  of  the  Passover. 
It  was  called  the  Great  Hallrl,  or  hymn  of  praise,  and 
consisted  of  Psalms  cxv.  to  cxviii.  inclusive."  So  was 
it  also  amid  the  fearful  sufferings  of  the  Cross.  When 
His  human  nature  was,  as  it  were,  crushed  by  the  sor- 
rows heaped  upon  Him,  the  words  which  seemed  natur- 
ally to  rise  to  His  lips,  were  those  of  the  Psalter.    The 

r  Lightfoot's  Temple  Service,  c.  xiii.  Ja/m's  Bib.  Arcli- 
aeologij,  p.  449.  Home's  Introd.  to  Scrip,  vol.  iii.  p.  306. 
Dr.  Adam  Clark,  in  his  Commentary  on  Matt.  xxvi.  30,  makes 
it  begin  with  Ps.  cxiii.  He  says,  "  As  to  the  Hymn  itself,  we 
know  from  the  universal  consent  of  Jewish  antiquity,  that  it 
was  composed  of  Psalms  cxiii.  to  cxviii.,  termed  by  the  Jews 

Hallel These  six  Psalms  were  always  sung  at  every 

Paschal  solemnity." 

Jacob  Abbott,  in  his  Corner-Stone,  ends  his  description  of 
the  last  Passover  with  a  pathetic  appeal  to  St.  John.  "  '  And 
when  they  had  sung  a  hymn  they  went  out  into  the  Mount 
of  Olives.'  What  could  have  been  their  hymn  ?  Its  senti- 
ments and  feelings,  they  who  can  appreciate  the  occasion, 
may  perhaps  conceive,  but  what  were  its  words  .'*  Beloved 
disciple!  why  didst  thou  not  record  them?  They  should 
have  been  sung  in  every  nation,  and  language,  and  clime. 
We  should  have  fixed  them  in  our  hearts,  and  taught  them 
to  our  children,  and  when  we  came  together,  to  commemorate 
our  Redeemer's  sufferings,  we  should  never  have  separated 
without  singing  his  parting  hymn."     (p.  219.) 

A  very  slight  knowledge  of  Jewish  antiquities  might  have 
pointed  out  to  Mr.  Abbott  what  was  probably  the  form  which 
I   he  wishes  to  have  so  extensively  adopted. 

® ® 


® ® 

156      ANTIQUITY  OF  FORMS  OF  PRAYER. 

inquiry — "  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  Thou  forsaken 
me  ?"  is  the  commencement  of  the  22d  Psalm ;  and 
the  words  which  last  He  uttered- — "  Into  thy  hands  I 
commend  my  Spirit" — compose  the  5th  verse  of  the 
31st  Psalm.  Thus,  in  the  language  of  the  divines  of 
Leyden — "  Christ,  while  suspended  from  the  Cross, 
used  that  golden  form  of  prayer,  which  David  as  His 
prototype  had  composed."' 

Another  strong  proof  of  our  Lord's  sanction  is  de- 
rived from  that  model  of  devotion  which  He  Himself 
gave  to  His  disciples.  John  the  Baptist  had  taught 
his  followers  to  pray  by  a  set  form,  and  the  little 
household  of  believers  who  had  gathered  around  our 
Master,  and  composed  the  Early  Church,  requested 
Him  also  to  do  the  same.  Their  petition  was — "  Lord 
teach  us  to  pray,  as  John  also  taught  his  disciples." 
And  what  did  He  answer  ?  Did  He  tell  them,  in  all 
cases  to  trust  to  the  passing  feelings  of  the  moment, 
and  to  shun  as  coldness  every  thing  which  was  not 
extemporaneous  1  No  ;  He  at  once  prescribed  that 
form  now  known  by  the  name  of  the  Lord's  Prayer, 
and  which  the  Church  has  since  in  all  ages  continued 
to  use  in  her  worship.  It  is  a  most  striking  fact,  too, 
that  every  single  sentence  in  this  prayer  is  taken 
from  the  Jewish  Liturgies,  with  which  the  disciples 
were  already  familiar."^    "  So  far,"  saysGrotius,  "  was 

s  Sinclair's  Dissertation,  p.  12. 

t  Abundant  proof  of  this  can  be  found  in  Lightfoot  (on 
Matt.  ix.  9-13)  and  the  works  of  several  other  learned  men. 

® ® 


® . ® 

ANTIQUITY  OF  FORMS  OF  PRAYER.       157 

the  Lord  Himself  of  the  Christian  Church  from  all 
affectation  of  unnecessary  novelty."  What  stronger 
confirmation  then  could  He  give  of  His  approval  ? 
And  should  we  not  be  contented  to  follow  in  the  steps 
of  our  Divine  Master — to  worship  as  He  did — and  in 
accordance  with  the  example  which  He  sets,  to  "  hold 
fast  the  form  of  sound  words,"  when  we  approach 
our  God? 

Our  next  argument  is  derived  from  the  uniform 
practice  of  the  Primitive  Church.  The  early  disci- 
ples followed  the  example  of  the  Jewish  Church, 
which  their  Lord  had  thus  sanctioned,  and  adopted 
forms  of  prayer  suited  to  the  wants  of  the  Church 
under  the  new  Dispensation.  In  the  fourth  chapter 
of  the  Acts,  is  an  Apostolic  form  of  Prayer.  It  was 
delivered  on  the  return  of  Peter  and  John  from  the 
Jewish  council,  when  in  the  assembly  of  their  brethren 
they  "  reported  all  that  the  chief  priests  and  elders 
had  said  unto  them."  We  are  told,  "  when  they 
heard  that,  they  lifted  up  their  voices  to  God  with 

Mr.  Gregory  has  collected  the  expressions  out  of  the  differ- 
ent Jewish  Euchologies,  and  tlius  translated  tliem  : — 

"  Our  Father,  which  art  in  Heaven,  be  gracious  unto  us  ! 
O  Lord  our  God,  hallowed  by  thy  name,  and  let  the  remem- 
brance of  Thee  be  glorified  in  Heaven  above,  and  upon  earth 
here  below.  Let  thy  kingdom  reign  over  us,  now  and  for 
over.  The  holy  men  of  old  said,  remit  and  forgive  unto  all 
men  whatsoever  they  have  done  against  me.  And  lead  us 
not  into  temptation,  but  deliver  us  from  the  evil  thing.  For 
thine  is  the  kingdom,  and  thou  shalt  reign  in  glory  for  ever, 
and  for  evermore."     Home's  Introd.  to  Scrip,  v.  iii.  p.  296. 

8 
® — — ® 


® — ® 

158      ANTIQUITY  OF  FORMS  OF  PRAYER. 

one  accord,"  and  in  (what  Bishop  Jebb  calls)  "this 
noble  supplicatory  hymn,  poured  forth  at  once  by 
the  whole  Christian  people,"  they  returned  thanks  for 
the  past,  and  begged  strength  for  the  future.  We 
give  the  same  distinguished  writer's  version  of  the 
parallelisms — " 

1.  O  Lord,  thou  art  the  God, 
Who  did'st  make  Heaven  and  Earth  ; 
And  the  sea,  and  all  things  that  are  in  them  ; 
Who,  by  the  mouth  of  thy  servant  David,  did'st  say  : 

2.  "  Why  did  the  heathen  rage. 
And  the  people  imagine  vain  things, 

The  Kings  of  the  earth  stand  up. 
And  the  rulers  combine  together, 
Against  the  Lord,  and  against  his  anointed  ?" 

3.  For  of  a  truth  there  have  combined 
Against  thine  holy  child  Jesus,  whom  thou  hast  anointed. 
Both  Herod,  and  Pontius  Pilate, 
With  the  heathen,  and  the  peoples  of  Israel, 
To  do  whatsoever  things  thy  hand^ 
And  thy  counsel  predetermined  to  be  done. 

4.  And  now.  Lord,  look  down  upon  their  threatenings, 
And  give  unto  thy  servants, 
With  all  boldness,  to  speak  thy  word  : 
While  thou  art  stretching  forth  thine  hand  for  healing. 
And  while  signs  and  wonders  are  performed, 
Through  the  name  of  thine  holy  child  Jesus. 

The  manner  in  which  this  prayer  was  uttered — 
the  whole  people  "  lifting  up  their  voices  to  God  with 

u  Jebb's  Sacred  Literature,  p.  132-142. 

® ■ — @ 


® __® 

ANTIQUITY  OF  FORMS  OF  PRAYER.      159 

one  accord " — together  with  the  regular  poetical 
measure  in  which  it  is  written — prove,  we  think,  that 
it  must  have  been  a  pre-composed  form,  with  which 
all  were  familiar.  To  use  again  the  words  of  Bishop 
Jebb — "  The  same  sacred  vein  of  poetry  animates 
the  whole,  and  yet,  amidst  all  this  poetic  fervor,  we 
may  discern  much  technical  nicety  of  construction." 
The  view,  therefore,  taken  of  it  by  Mr.  Chapin  is  one 
which  would  commend  itself  to  the  reason  of  any 
person  not  biassed  by  prejudice.  "  The  occasion 
upon  which  the  use  of  this  prayer  is  recorded,  was 
the  extraordinary  escape  of  Peter  and  John  from,  the 
hands  of  the  Jews.  And  yet,  there  is  no  allusion  to 
the  circumstance.  It  is  just  such  a  prayer  as  they 
would  be  likely  to  use  on  every  occasion  of  meeting 
together  ;  one  that  would  be  applicable  to  their  case, 
at  all  times.  Hence,  as  this  general  prayer  was  used 
upon  an  especial  occasion,  it  is  but  reasonable  to  in- 
fer, that  it  had  been  pre-composed,  and  formed  a  part 
of  their  daily  worship."" 

Occasionally  in  the  Epistles  we  find  an  incidental 
allusion  to  their  service,  which  strengthens  the  view 
we  have  given.  Thus  the  Colossians  are  directed 
"  to  teach  and  admonish  one  another  in  psalms,  and 
hymns,  and  spiritual  songs."  These,  of  course,  must 
have  been  previously  prepared.  And  St.  Paul,  in 
writing  to  the  Corinthians,  mentions  the  custom  of 
saying  Amen,  at  the  close  of  the  prayer.  (1  Cor.  xiv. 

V   Prim.  Church,  p.  130. 

® ® 


® ® 

160  ANTIQUITY    OF    FORMS    OF    PRAYER. 

16.)  This,  Justin  Martyr,  in  the  middle  of  the  se- 
cond century  says,  was  the  universal  practice  of  the 
Church." 

We  now  turn  to  the  Primitive  Church  in  the  age 
immediately  following  that  of  the  Apostles.  The 
form  most  frequently  used  was  the  Lord's  prayer,  en- 
deared to  them  by  so  many  associations  connecting 
it  with  Him  from  whose  lips  they  first  learned  its  holy 
words.  Tertullian  calls  it,  "  not  only  a  rule  pre- 
scribing the  method  and  matter  of  Prayer,  but  a 
form  to  be  used  in  the  words  in  which  Christ  de- 
livered it,  and  to  be  added  to  all  other  prayers  as  the 
foundation  of  a  superstructure.'"'  St.  Chrysostom  in 
two  volumes  of  his  works — the  third  and  the  fifth — 
makes  the  declaration  more  than  twenty  times,  "  that 
the  Lord's  prayer  was  a  common  form  in  use  among 
them  by  the  express  command  of  Christ."  And  St. 
Augustine,  in  his  Retractations,  confirms  this,  assert- 
ing that  "  the  whole  Church  will  continue  to  use  it  to 
the  end  of  the  world. "^ 

"  Evident  is  it,  beyond  dispute" — says  the  learned 
Bingham — "  that  the  whole  Primitive  Church  con- 
stantly used  it  in  all  her  holy  offices,  out  of  conscious- 
ness and   regard   to   Christ's    command For 

there  was  no  considerable  Divine  office,  in  the  cele- 
bration of  which  this  prayer  did  not  always  make  a 
solemn  part."^     This  was  the  case  in  Baptism,  when 

w   Apol.  i.  c.  87.  X   De  Orat.  cap.  9. 

y    Lib.  i.  cap.  19. 

z    Orig.  Eccles.  lib.  xiii.  chap.  7,  sect.  2. 

® ® 


® __® 

ANTIQUITY    OF    FORMS    OF    PRAYER.  161 

each  person  was  enjoined  to  repeat  it  as  soon  as  the 
rite  was  administered.  "  Immediately  after  this" — 
say  the  Apostolical  Constitutions — "  let  him  stand 
and  pray  the  prayer  which  the  Lord  hath  taught  us."- 
And  St.  Chrysostom  in  like  manner  informs  us,  that 
as  soon  as  he  leaves  the  water,  "  he  says  these  words, 
'  Our  Father  which  art  in  Heaven,  6lc.'  "^  This  was 
done  in  the  same  manner  at  the  celebration  of  the 
Eucharist.  St.  Cyril  says — "  After  the  oblation  pray- 
er, we  say  that  prayer  which  our  Saviour  delivered  to 
His  disciples,  calling  God  our  Father  with  a  pure 
conscience,  and  saying,  '  Our  Father  which  art  in 
Heaven.'""  And  St.  Augustine  informs  us — "The 
whole  Church  concludes  the  prayer  of  benediction 
and  sanctification  with  the  Lord's  prayer."''  It  also 
made  a  part  of  their  daily  Morning  and  Evening 
Prayers,  distinct  from  the  Communion  office,'  as  well 
as  of  the  private  devotions  of  individuals.  Thus  St. 
Chrysostom  says — "Christ,  to  induce  us  to  unanimity 
and  charity,  enjoins  us  to  make  common  prayer,  and 
obliges  the  whole  Church,  as  if  it  were  but  one  person, 
to  say,  '  Our  Father,'  and  '  Give  us  this  day  our 
daily  bread,'  &c.,  always  using  a  word  of  the  plural 
number,  and  commanding  every  one,  whether  he  pray 
alone  by  himself,  or  in  company  with  others,  still  to 
make  prayer  for  his  brethren.'"     Therefore  it  had  the 

a  Lib.  vii.  cap.  44.  b    Horn.  6,  in  Coloss. 

c  Catcch.  Myst.  v.  p.  298.  d    Epist.  59,  ad  Paulin. 

e  Bing.  Orig.  Eccles.  lib.  xiii.  ciiap.  7,  sect.  4. 

f  Com.  in  Ps.  cxii. 

® ® 


® ® 

162  ANTIQUITY    OF    FORMS    OF    PRAYER. 

name  of  Oratio  Qnotidiana,  the  Christian's  daily 
prayer,  and  was  used  alike  by  heretics  and  schisma- 
tics, as  by  the  Catholics.^ 

We  have  so  particularly  brought  forward  the  use 
of  this  prayer  in  the  early  ages,  not  only  as  showing 
the  attachment  of  Christians  to  it  as  a  form,  but  also 
because  it  will  be  evident  from  an  examination  of  the 
passages  quoted,  that  it  often  thus  formed  one  portion 
of  a  pre-composed  service.  There  were  indeed  cer- 
tain forms  which  were  in  all  Churches  substantially 
the  same,  and  were  used  in  connection  with  the 
ordinary  Liturgy.  These  were,  the  form  for  Bap- 
tism''— that  for  the  consecration  of  the  Eucharist' — 
and  the  Doxologies.^  This,  Bingham  has  most  fully 
shown.  A\\(\.  the  reason  for  uniformity  in  these  par- 
ticular services  is  evident.  They  included  the  grand 
cardinal  points  of  our  faith,  and  therefore,  while  they 
agreed,  there  was- — to  use  Bingham's  own  words — 
"  but  one  form  of  worship  throughout  the  whole 
Church,  as  to  what  concerned  the  substfince  of 
Christian  worship." 

With  respect  to  the  other  parts  of  the  Liturgy — 
the  ordinary  prayers — it  is  evident  that  each  Bishop 
was  at  liberty  to  form  his  own  in  what  method  and 
words  he  thought  proper,  only  keeping  to  the  analogy 
of  faith  and  sound  doctrine.     Thus,  we  are  told  that 

g   Orig.  Eccles.  lib.  xiii.  ch.  7,  sect.  7. 
h    Ibid.  lib.  xi.  ch.  3,  and   ch.  7.      See    also    Chapin's 
Prim.  Church,  p.  127. 

i   Ibid.  lib.  Kv.  ch.3.  j.    Ibid.  lib.  xiv.  ch.  2. 

® ® 


® 

ANTIQUITY    OF    FORMS    OF    PRAYER.  163 

St.  Basil,  among  other  good  services  which  he  did 
for  the  Church  at  Ca^sarea,  while  he  was  but  a  Pres- 
byter in  it,  composed  forms  of  prayer,  which  by  the 
consent  and  authority  of  the  Bishop,  Eusebius,  were 
regularly  used  there.  And  this  is  thought  by  many 
to  be  the  first  draught  of  that  Liturgy  which  bears 
his  name  to  this  day.  The  Church  of  Neo-Cassarea 
in  Pontus,  where  St.  Basil  was  born,  had  a  Liturgy 
peculiar  to  itself,  of  which  he  speaks  in  one  of  his 
Epistles.  St.  Chrysostom's  Liturgy,  which  he  com- 
posed for  the  Church  of  Constantinople,  differed  from 
these.  The  Ambrosian,  Roman,  and  African  forms, 
all  varied  in  some  particulars.''  When  also  any  new 
Church  was  founded,  it  did  not  feel  itself  obliged  to 
follow,  except  in  spirit,  the  model  and  words  of  the 
Church  from  which  it  came,  but  altered  the  old 
Liturgy  to  suit  its  own  peculiar  circumstances  and 
condition,  in  the  same  way  that  we  adapted  the 
Liturgy  of  the  Church  in  England  to  our  situation  in 
this  country.  Of  this,  the  historian  Sozomen  gives 
an  example  in  the  instance  of  Maiuma,  in  Palestine, 
which  once  belonged  to  the  diocese  of  Gaza.  For, 
as  soon  as  it  was  erected  into  a  distinct  Episcopal 
See,  it  was  no  longer  obliged  to  observe  precisely^t|ic 
rules  and  forms  of  the  Church  of  Gaza,  but  had,  as 
he  particularly  remarks,  a  calendar  for  the  festivals 
of  its  own  martyrs,  and  commemorations  of  the 
Bishops  and  Presbyters  who  had  lived  among  them.' 

k  Ibid.  lib.  iii.  cli.  6.                 1  Ibid.  lib.  xiii.  ch.  5. 
® — — : ® 


« — — — — ® 

164  ANTIQUITY    OP    FORMS    OF    PRAYER. 

.  After,  however,  a  Liturgy  was  adopted  in  each 
Church,  and  so  modeled  in  minor  points  as  to  meet 
its  peculiar  wants,  we  have  reason  to  believe  that  it 
remained  with  but  little  alteration.  Mr.  Palmer 
says — "That  each  Church  preserved  continually  the 
same  Liturgy  is  certain.  It  is  impossible  to  peruse 
the  notices  supplied  by  the  Fathers,  without  perceiv- 
ing that  the  baptized  Christians  were  supposed  to  be 
familiar  with  every  part  of  the  service ;  and  con- 
tinual allusions  are  made  to  various  particulars  as 
well  known,  which  it  would  be  impossible  to  explain, 
except  by  referring  to  the  Liturgies  still  extant.  The 
order  of  the  parts  was  always  preserved,  the  same 
rites  and  ceremonies  continually  repeated,  the  same 
ideas  and  language  without  material  variation,  trans- 
mitted from  generation  to  generation.  The  people 
always  knew  the  precise  points  at  which  they  were 
to  repeat  their  responses,  chant  their  sacred  hymn, 
or  join  in  the  well  known  prayer.'""  We  can  give 
an  example  of  this  by  a  comparison  of  the  works  of 
Justin  Martyr  and  Cyril  of  Jerusalem.  The  former 
in  the  middle  of  the  second  century  gives  an  account 
of  the  order  of  worship  in  the  Syrian  Churches  in 
his  day."  The  latter,  150  years  later,  describes  the 
solemn  Liturgy  which  was  celebrated  after  the  dis- 
missal of  the  Catechumens."  These  two  writers 
lived  in  different  parts  of  the  Patriarchate  of  Antioch, 
but  it  is  evident  they  are  referring  to  a  Liturgy  essen- 

m  Antiq.  of  English  Ritual,  v.  i.  p.  9. 

n  Apol.  i.  p.  96.  o  Cyr.  Op.  296. 

® ■ ■ -® 


® — — ® 

ANTIQUITY    OF    FORMS    OF    PRAYER.  1G5 

tially  the  same,  and  which,  during  the  interval  of  time 
which  separated  them,  had  not  substantially  changed. 
It  is  that  which  we  now  have  under  the  name  of  the 
Liturgy  of  St.  James. 

From  the  prevalence  of  this  spirit  of  hostility  to 
change,  we  should  naturally  expect  that  after  the 
lapse  of  some  centuries,  a  substantial  uniformity 
would  be  found  in  the  ritual  of  the  different  Churches. 
And  such  is  the  case.  All  the  Primitive  Liturgies 
may  plainly  be  reduced  to  four,  which  were  un- 
doubtedly the  original  forms  from  which  they  were 
modeled.  These  are,  first,  the  Oriental  Liturgy, 
which  prevailed  through  the  entire  East,  and  was 
ascribed  by  tradition  to  St.  James.  Second,  the 
Liturgy  of  St.  Peter,  which  was  used  through  Italy, 
Sicily,  and  the  North  of  Africa.  Third,  *S^^.  Mark's 
Liturgy,  adopted  by  the  Christians  throughout 
Egypt,  Ethiopia,  and  the  neighboring  countries  on 
the  Mediterranean  Sea.  And  fourth,  ^S"^.  Juhii's 
Liturgy,  which  prevailed  through  Gaul,  Spain,  and 
the  exarchate  of  Ephesus,  until  the  fifth  century. 
Now,  upon  examining  these,  we  find  that  the  princi- 
pal ideas  are  the  same.  The  principal  rites  are 
identical,  and  there  is  a  general  uniformity  of  ar- 
rangement among  them  all.  These  facts  prove, 
therefore,  that  at  a  distant  antiquity  they  must  have 
had  a  common  origin,  or  been  at  least  written  by 
men  who  shared  in  the  same  feelings  ;  while  there  is 
also  sufficient  diversity  to  show  the  remoteness  of 

8* 
® — ® 


® 


® 


166 


ANTIQUITY    OF    FORMS    OF    PRAYER. 


the  period  at  which   they   had    their    rise.""       Their 
use   was  indeed   so   extensive   in   those   ages   when 

p  We  here  give  the  arrangement.     The  striking  lesem- 
blance  to  our  Communion  Service  will  be  at  once  perceived — 


^■- 


St.  Peter's  Liturgy. 
Italy,    Sicily,    and  Africa. 

1.  Lift  up  your  hearts,  &c. 

2.  Therefore    with    Angels, 

&c. 

3.  Prayer    for    the    Church 

militant. 

4.  Consecration  Prayer. 

5.  Commemoration    of   our 

Lord's  words. 

6.  The  Oblation. 

7.  Prayers  for  the  dead. 

8.  Breaking  of  bread. 

9.  The  Lord's  Prayer. 

10.  The  kiss  of  peace. 

11.  Communion. 


St.  James'  Liturgy. 
Oriental. 

10.  The  kiss  of  peace. 

1.  Lift  up  your  hearts,  &lc 

2.  Therefore    with   Angels, 

tfcc. 

5.  Commemoration     of  our 

Lord's  words. 

6.  The  Oblation. 

4    Consecration  Prayer 

3.  Prayer    for   the    Church 

militant. 

7.  Prayers  for  the  dead. 
9.  The  Lord's  Prayer. 

8.  Breaking  of  bread. 

11.  Communion. 


St.  Mark's  Liturgy. 
Egypt  and  Ethiopia. 
19.  The  kiss  of  peace. 

1.  Lift  up  your  hearts,  &c. 

3.  Prayer    for    the    Church 

militant 
7.  Prayers  for  the  dead. 

2.  Therefore    with    Angels, 

&c. 

5.  Commemoration    of   our 

Lord's  words. 

6.  The  Oblation. 

4.  Consecration  Prayer. 


St.  John's  Liturgy. 
Gaul,    Spain,  and  Ephcsus. 

3.  Prayer    for    the    Church 

militant. 
7.  Prayers  for  the  dead. 
10.  The  kiss  of  peace. 

1.  Lift  up  your  hearts,  &c. 

2.  Therefore    with    Angels, 

&c. 
5.  Commemoration    of    our 

Lord's  words. 
6    The  Oblation. 

4.  Consecration  Prayer. 


®- 


-® 


; ® 

ANTIQUITY  OF  FORMS  OF  PRAYER.      1 G7 

Bishops  were  most  independent,  that  it  is  difficult 
to  assign  their  origin  to  a  lower  period  than  the 
Apostolic    age.      "  The  liberty,"   says  Mr.  Palmer, 

8.  Breaking  of  bread.  8.  Breaking  of  bread. 

9.  Tiie  Lord's  Prayer.  9.  The  Lord's  Prayer. 
11.  Communion.                           11.  Communion. 

The  order  in  our  Chureli  is  somewhat  different : — 

3.  Prayer   for    the     Ciiurch  8.  Breaking  of  bread, 

militant.  6.  The  Oblation. 

1.  Lift  up  your  hearts  &c.  4.  Consecration  Prayer. 

2.  Therefore    with    Angels,  11.  Communion. 

&c  9.  The  Lord's  Prayer. 

5.  Commemoration    of    our 
Lord's  words. 

For  the  benefit  of  those  who  ore  not  familiar  with  this 
subject,  we  would  remark,  that  the  Prayers  for  the  Dead 
in  the  Primitive  Liturgies  bear  no  resemblantfe  whatever  to 
those  now  used  in  the  Romish  Church,  They  were  rather 
an  affectionate  remembrance  of  those  who  had  slept  in  the  faith, 
—  "a  commemoration  of  the  departed  faithful,"  as  Mr. 
Palmer  calls  them — and  were  in  these  words — "  We  com- 
mend unto  Thy  mercy,  O  Lord,  all  other  Thy  servants, 
which  are  departed  hence  from  us  with  the  sign  of  faith,  and 
now  do  rest  in  the  sleep  of  peace  :  grant  unto  them,  we 
beseech  Tiiee,  Thy  mercy  and  everlasting  peace  ;  and  that, 
at  the  day  of  the  general  resurrection,  we,  and  all  they  which 
be  of  the  mystical  body  of  Thy  Son,  may  altogether  be  set 
at  His  right  hand,  and  hear  that  His  most  joyful  voice,  '  Come 
unto  me,  O  ye  that  be  blessed  of  my  Father,  and  possess  the 
kingdom  which  is  prepared  for  you  from  the  beginning  of  the 
world  ?'  Grant  this,  O  Father,  for  Jesus  Christ's  sake,  our 
only  Mediator  and  Advocate." 

® ® 


® . _® 

168      ANTIQUITY  OF  FORMS  OF  PRAYER. 

"  which  every  Christian  Church  plainly  had  and  ex- 
ercised, in  the  way  of  improving  its  formularies,  con- 
firms the  antiquity  of  the  four  great  Liturgies ;  for 
where  this  liberty  existed,  it  could  have  been  scarcely 
any  thing  else  but  reverence  for  the  Apostolical 
source  from  which  the  original  Liturgies  were  derived, 
that  prevented  an  infinite  variety  of  formularies,  and 
preserved  the  substantial  uniformity  which  we  find 
to  have  prevailed  in  vast  districts  of  the  Primitive 
Church.'"'  They  form,  therefore,  four  distinct  chan- 
nels, by  which  the  faith  and  practice  of  the  early 
Church  have  been  handed  down  to  us. 

To  one  of  these  indeed — the  Liturgy  of  St. 
James — we  can  assign  a  very  great  antiquity,  from 
the  manner  in  which  it  has  been  kept  separate  from 
all  others.  Nearly  fourteen  centuries  ago,  at  the 
Council  of  Chalcedon,  which  met  a.  d.  451,  a  sect 
of  Christians,  called  Monophysites,  were  anathema- 
tized for  heresy.  Since  that  time  they  have  been  of 
course  entirely  separated  from  the  orthodox,  and  no 
communion  subsisted  between  the  two  parties.  For 
a  time  they  each  had  their  establishments  in  the  dif- 
ferent dioceses,  and  their  own  patriarch  in  the  Metro- 
politan City.  At  the  time  of  the  Mahometan  invasion, 
the  orthodox  were  driven  out,  and  the  Monophy- 
sites, patronized  by  the  invaders,  remained  in  undis- 
turbed possession  of  their  sees,  and  represented  the 
ancient  Patriarchate  of  Antioch.       At  this  day  the 

q  Antiq.  of  English  Ritual,  v.  i.  p.  8. 

® ■ '-^ <s> 


® ® 

ANTIQUITY  OF  FORMS  OF  PRAYER.      169 

members  of  this  sect  are  still  scattered  through  Judea, 
Mesopotamia,  Syria,  and  the  southern  part  of  Asia 
Minor,  and  use  a  Liturgy  in  the  Syriac  Language, 
which  they  ascribe  to  St.  James.  The  singular  fact 
about  this  Liturgy  is,  that  a  great  part  of  it  coincides, 
expression  for  expression,  with  the  Greek  Liturgy 
used  by  the  orthodox  Church  at  Jerusalem,  so  that 
one  must  evidently  be  a  translation  of  the  other/ 
When  then  was  this  done  ?  It  must  have  been  prior 
to  the  Council  of  Chalcedon,  for  since  that  time 
these  two  parties  have  shunned  each  other.  This 
coincidence,  therefore,  between  their  most  solemn 
religious  rites,  proves  their  services  to  be  at  least 
more  than  1400  years  old. 

Such,  then,  is  the  authority  we  have  for  this  prac- 
tice, from  the  custom  of  the  Jewish  Church — the 
sanction  and  example  of  our  Lord — and  its  universal 
prevalence  in  the  early  Church.  "  No  doubt" — says 
Hooker — "  from  God  it  hath  proceeded,  and  by  us  it 
must  be  acknowledged,  as  a  work  of  singular  care 
and  providence,  that  the  Church  hath  evermore  held 
a  prescript  form  of  prayer ;  although  not  in  all  things 
everywhere  the  same,  yet  for  the  most  part  retaining 
still  the  same  analogy.  So  that  if  the  Liturgies  of  all 
the  ancient  Churches  throughout  the  world  be  com- 
pared among  themselves,  it  may  be  easily  perceived 
they  had  all  one  original  mould,  and  that  the  public 
prayers  of  the  people  of  God  in  Churches  throughly 

r  Tile  Anli<[iiity  of  the  Existing  Liturgies,  Oxford,  1838. 
® '■ —  ® 


<f>- ® 

170      ANTIQUITY  OF  FORMS  OP  PRAYER. 

settled,  did  never  use  to  be  voluntary  dictates  proceed- 
ing from  any  man's  extemporal  wit."'  It  would  not 
indeed  be  possible,  during  the  whole  course  of  the 
1500  years  which  preceded  the  Reformation,  to  find 
any  Church,  the  public  worship  of  which  was  conduct- 
ed without  a  prescribed  form.  Not  only  the  ancient 
Greek  and  Latin  Churches,  but  all  the  other  Christian 
societies  in  Europe,  Asia,  and  Africa,  conformed  to 
this  rule.  The  Abyssinians,  and  Egyptians — the 
Jacobites,  Maronites,  and  Nestorians  of  Asia — and 
the  Christians  of  St.  Thomas  in  India' — all  had  their 
Liturgies. 

Strictly  considered,  all  public  prayer  is  a  form  to 

s  Eccles.  Polity,  hb.  v.  sect.  25. 

t  Dr.  Buchanan,  speaking  about  these  Indian  Christians, 
says — "  They  have  the  Bible  and  a  Scriptxiral  Liturgy  ;  and 
these  will  save  a  Church  in  the  worst  of  times.  And  as  there 
were  but  few  copies  of  the  Bible  among  the  Syrians,  (for 
every  copy  was  transcribed  with  the  pen,)  it  is  highly  prob- 
able that,  if  they  had  not  enjoyed  the  advantage  of  the  daily 
prayers,  and  daily  portions  of  Scripture  in  their  Liturgy,  there 
would  have  been,  in  the  revolution  of  ages,  no  vestige  of 

Christianity  left  among  them In  a  nation  like  ours, 

overflowing  with  knowledge,  men  are  not  always  in  circum- 
stances to  perceive  the  value  of  a  Scriptural  Liturgy.  When 
Christians  are  well  taught,  they  think  they  want  something 
better.  But  the  young  and  the  ignorant,  who  form  a  great  pro- 
portion of  the  community,  are  edified  by  a  little  plain  instruc- 
tion, frequently  repeated.  A  small  Church  or  sect  may  do 
without  a  form  for  a  while.  But  a  national  Liturgy  is  that 
which  preserves  a  relic  of  the  true  faith  among  the  people  in 
a  large  Empire,  when  the  priests  leave  their  Articles  and 
their  Confessions  of  Faith."     Researches  in  Jlsia,  p.  80. 

® — ® 


® _ ® 

ANTIQUITY  OF  FORMS  OF  PRAYER.       171 

those  who  unite  with  the  speaker.  Whether  his  peti- 
tions have  been  previously  composed,  or  arise  from 
the  impulse  of  the  moment,  it  is  the  same  to  his  hear- 
ers. His  extemporaneous  prayer  must  be  to  them  a 
form  of  prayer.  We  come  then  to  the  simple  ques- 
tion— whether  it  is  better  to  have  this  arranged  before- 
hand, or  to  trust  to  the  passing  feelings  of  him  who 
happens  to  be  the  minister?  As  far  as  the  spiritual 
benefit  of  the  hearers  is  concerned,  we  should  say, 
that  the  former  would  be  the  wiser  course.  Other- 
wise, the  effect  produced  will  be  that  so  admirably 
described  by  an  eminent  prelate  of  the  Church  of 
England — "If  there  should  be  nothing  absurd  or  un- 
becoming in  the  prayers,  yet  the  audience  must  first 
endeavor  to  understand  the  words ;  and  then  they 
must  weigh  and  consider  the  sense  and  meaning  ;  and 
then  they  must  deliberate  whether  such  requests  are 
proper  for  persons  in  their  condition,  before  they  can 
lawfully  join  in  them ;  and  by  that  time  the  minister 
is  passed  on  to  some  other  subject,  which  requires 
the  like  attention  and  consideration ;  and  so  their 
curiosity  may  be  raised,  and  they  may  exercise  their 
judgment,  but  there  can  scarce  be  any  room  left  for 
devotion."'^ 

Equally  important  is  the  influence  of  a  Liturgy  upon 
a  Church  collectively.  It  preserves  its  orthodoxy  un- 
impaired. Without  a  prescribed  form  of  prayer,  each 
individual  teacher  is  left  to  inculcate  such  doctrines 
as  best  suit  his  own  private  viev/s.     He  may  preach 

u  Bishop  Newton's  Sermons,  vol.  ii. 
® ® 


® o 

172  ANTIQUITY    OF    FORaiS    OF    PRAYER. 

error,  and  then  pray  in  accordance  with  it.  There  is 
no  standard  to  which  his  people  can  at  all  times  di- 
rect their  attention,  and  judge  of  his  doctrines.  He 
may  become  a  disbeliever  in  one  of  the  cardinal  arti- 
cles of  the  Christian  faith,  but  if  he  omit  all  mention 
of  it,  both  in  his  sermons  and  prayers,  it  may  not 
be  brought  before  the  attention  of  his  people  for 
years,  and  thus  insensibly,  yet  gradually,  they  fall  into 
his  errors. 

Such,  however,  can  never  be  the  case,  where 
there  is  a  Liturgy  like  that  of  our  Church.  Let  one 
who  ministers  at  our  altars  become  heretical,  and  he 
cannot  lead  his  people  with  him.  He  may  for  a  time 
preach  his  views,  but  each  prayer  he  reads  in  the 
service  will  contradict  him,  and  proclaim  most  une- 
quivocally that  he  is  faithless  to  the  Church.  Thus  he 
will  be  placed  in  a  false  position,  until  at  last  he  is  com- 
pelled to  go  out  from  us,  showing  that  he  is  not  of  us. 

Now  see  how  this  has  always  been  exemplified. 
What  religious  society  without  a  Liturgy,  has  ever 
subsisted  for  any  length  of  time,  and  yet  not  wandered 
from  its  early  faith  ?  Look  at  those  on  the  continent 
of  Europe,  which,  after  the  Reformation,  while  they 
abandoned  the  Apostolical  ministry,  give  up  the  ancient 
Liturgy  also.  To  what  result  have  those  in  Germany 
been  led  ?  Why,  we  see  them  wandering  in  all  the 
mazes  of  rationalism,  each  year  tending  downward  to 
a  darker,  more  hopeless  infidelity.'     What  is  the  faith 

V  Henry  Dvviglit  tlius  describes  tlieir  progress — "  The 
genuineness  and  siutiienticity  of  the  Old  Testament  was  first 

® -® 


® ® 

ANTIQUITY  OF  FORMS  OF  PRAYER.      173 

which  now  prevails  at  Geneva,  where  once  John  Cal- 
vin inculcated  his  stern  and  rigid  creed  ?  There,  all 
is  changed,  and  in  place  of  the  strictness  of  his  views, 
we  have  the  latitude  and  coldness  of  those  who  scoff 
at  the  Divinity  of  our  Lord."     We  are  compelled  then 

attacked,  and  outwork  after  outwork  was  gained,  until  ail 
belief  in  it  as  a  revelation,  was  almost  literally  exploded  from 
Germany.  The  Epistles  of  the  New  Testament  were  after- 
wards assailed  with  the  same  weapons.  The  inspiration  of 
one  writer  after  another  ceased  to  be  believed,  until  by  an 
almost  equally  large  proportion  of  the  theologians,  they  were 
also  viewed  as  unworthy  of  regard,  except  so  far  as  they  con- 
tain a  beautiful  system  of  morality,  and  so  far  as  they  are 
historically  interesting  from  their  instrumentality  in  spread- 
ing Christianity.  At  a  subsequent  period,  the  Gospels  were 
attacked  in  a  similar  manner.  The  character  of  Christ  was 
soon  generally  believed,  by  the  clergy,  to  have  no  more  claim 
to  our  respect  than  those  of  Plato  and  Aristotle,  unless  from 
the  greater  purity  of  his  example  and  his  code  of  morals,  and 
from  his  exhibition  of  powers  of  intellect,  which  most  of  them 
would  have  probably  admitted  to  be  much  superior  to  those 

of  the  Greek  philosophers So  universal  was  this 

disbelief,  that  there  were  not,  in  the  year  1808,  as  one  of  the 
most  distinguished  orthodox  professors  informed  me,  five  cler- 
gymen, who  dared  to  come  forth  and  declare  themselves  to  the 
world,  as  belonging  to  the  orthodox  party."  Travels  in  Ger- 
many in  182.5-6.  See,  too,  Hugh  James  Rose's  '  State  of 
Protestantism  in  Germany.' 

w  Dr.  Sprague  of  Albany  says — "The  Protestant  Church 
of  Geneva  has  greatly  departed  from  the  faith  of  the  early 
reformers.  Most  of  their  present  ministers  are  unquestion- 
ably Unitarians  of  the  German  School,  though  it  is  believed 
there  are  a  few  whose  religious  views  are,  in  the  main,  evan- 
gelical.    Here,  as  in  most  places  in  France,  I  understand 

® ® 


(^ — -® 

174  ANTIQUITY    OF    FORMS    OF    PRAYER. 

to  regard  the  reformation  on  the  continent,  as  a  thing 
that  has  passed  away.  "  Lutheranism  and  Calvinism 
are  indeed  now  little  more  than  matters  of  history  ;  for 
the  feeble  and  lifeless  relics  which  they  have  left  be- 
hind, and  which  still  bear  their  name,  are  but  painful 
memorials  of  systems  whose  imperfections  and  faults, 
whatever  they  might  be,  were  dignified  by  a  holy 
ardor  and  zeal  for  God  and  for  God's  revelation. 
Now,  when  the  confessions  of  faith  for  which  Luther, 
and  Zuinglius,  and  Calvin  would  have  laid  down  their 
lives,  are  throw^n  aside  as  obsolete,  or  subscribed  with 
salvos  and  declarations  which  render  the  act  of  sub- 
scription a  mere  mockery ;  how  can  we  recognize 
the  existence  of  their  faith  ?  Overrun  by  the  auda- 
cious impiety  of  Neologism,  an  infidelity  which  cloaks 
itself  under  the  name  of  Christianity  in  order  to  inflict 
a  more  grievous  wound  on  faith,  or  sunk  into  the 
deadly  slumbers  of  Socinian  and  Arian  apostacy, 
Lutheranism,  and  Calvinism,  as  religious  systems, 
seem  to  have  nearly  perished  in  the  countries  where 
they  arose." ^ 

So  it  is,  too,  among  the  dissenters  in  England, 
and  the  same  pulpits  in  which,  during  the  last  century, 
their  ablest  divines  preached,  are  now  held  by  Socini- 
ans.^     And   is  not    this  the    case  in  our  ow'n  land, 

there  is  very  little  that  charity  herself  can  believe  to  be  vital 
piety."     Letters  from  Europe  in  1828. 

X  Palmer's  Treatise  on  the  Church,  v.  i.  p.  358. 

y  The  most  fearful  picture  we  have  seen  of  the  English 
Dissenters  is  given  by  two  of  tlieir  own  authors,  Bogue  and 

© ® 


® ® 

ANTIQUITY  OF  FORMS  OF  PRAYER.      175 

where  even  the  descendants  of  the  New  England 
puritans  have  abandoned  their  faith,  and  substituted 
in  its  place  the  most  fearful  heresies,  "  denying  the 
Lord  that  bought  them  ?"  There  is  reason,  therefore, 
for  that  exclamation,  uttered  by  Buchanan,  the  apostle 

Bennct.  They  say — "  Many,  wlio  drank  the  cup  of  Arian- 
ism  first,  and  then  of  Socinianism  to  tlie  very  dregs,  ceased 

to  be  members  of  the  dissenting  congregation By  the 

operation  of  these  causes,  many  a  Presbyterian  congregation 
dwindled  from  a  giant  into  a  dwarf.  Aged  people  who  re- 
member their  respectable  condition  in  the  metropolis,  at  the 
commencement  of  this  period,  must  be  convinced,  that  heresy 
has  acted  like  an  enchantress  in  silently,  by  her  fatal  spells, 
accomplishing  their  destruction.  They  are,  in  general,  now 
but  the  shadow  of  what  they  formerly  were,  and  many  of 
them  have  ceased  to  exist.  Devonshire,  the  cradle  of  Arian- 
ism,  has  been  the  grave  of  the  Arian  dissenters,  and  there  is 
not  left  in  that  populous  county,  a  twentieth  part  of  the 
Presbyterians  which  were  to  be  found  at  her  birth.  More 
than  twenty  of  their  meeting-houses,  it  is  said,  have  been 
shut  up,  and  in  those  which  remain  open,  there  are  to  be 
seen  the  skeletons  only  of  congregations  which  were  full  and 
flourishing  before  error  had  banished  prosperity." 

*"  Like  the  devouring  pestilence,  Arianism  and  Socinian- 
ism have,  with  few  exceptions,  carried  desolation  with  them 
into  every  congregation,  where  they  have  obtained  an  en- 
trance ;  and  some  scores  more  of  their  meeting-houses  would 
have  been  shut  up,  but  for  the  pious  benevolence  of  persons 
of  a  different  creed,  in  the  former  generation.  By  their  en- 
dowments, many  of  the  Presbyterian  ministers  have  been 
enabled  to  retain  their  office,  and  to  preach  to  what  deserves 
not  the  name  of  a  congregation."  History  of  Dissenters, 
vol.  iv.  p.  319. 

® — (s) 


® ® 

176  ANTIQUITY    OF    FORMS    OF    PRAYER. 

of  the  East — "  Woe  to  the  declining  Church  which 
hath  not  a  Gospel  Liturgy  ]'"■ 

But  where  could  this  melancholy  history  be  written 
of  any  who  adhered  faithfully  to  a  prescribed  form  in 
their  public  devotions?  Take  our  own  Church,  for 
example.  Investigate  the  doctrines  which  are  em- 
bodied in  her  formularies,  and  you  will  find  that  they 
are  now  what  they  were  eighteen  centuries  ago. 
Faithless  and  unworthy  men  have  indeed  at  times 
been  the  teachers  of  the  Church,  but  their  errors 
passed  away  with  them,  and  the  great  body  of  her 
members,  by  looking  to  the  Liturgy  for  instruction, 
still  held  to  their  steadfastness.  Its  holy  language, 
bearing  the  impress,  and  breathing  forth  the  spirit  of 
the  purest  days,  is  stamped  upon  the  memory  of  each 
one  of  her  true  children,  and  wrought  into  the  very 
texture  of  his  mind.  Her  beautiful  services,  adapted 
to  every  change  and  circumstance  of  life,  from  the 
cradle  to  the  grave,  speak  to  his  heart  with  a  power, 
which  no  extemporaneous  prayer  can  have.  In  these 
words  his  fathers  have  worshipped.  These  prayers, 
perhaps,  have  trembled  upon  the  lips  of  some  whom 
he  has  loved,  but  who  long  since  have  passed  away 
to  their  reward.  By  the  chain  of  association  they 
unite  him  to  the  departed.  They  recall  them  to  his 
memory,  and  thus,  by  means  of  these  petitions,  he 
lives  again  in  scenes  which  have  long  since  gone. 
Oh,  solemnly  and  sweetly  do  these  words  and  these 

z   Researches  in  Asia,  p.  80. 
® (2) 


® ® 

ANTIQUITY    OF    FORMS    OF    PRAYER.  177 

services  come  home  to  the  Churchman's  heart !  He 
would  not  part  with  them — so  rich  in  hallowed  re- 
collections— for  all  the  eloquence  that  modern  wisdom 
could  devise.  He  clings  to  them  through  life,  and 
trusts  that  the  last  sound  which  shall  fall  upon  his 
dying  ear,  will  be  that  solemn  prayer  by  which  the 
Church  commends  the  departing  spirit  to  the  mercy 
of  its  God.* 

Thus  it  is,  that  a  thousand  remembrances  gather 
around  our  time-honored  Ritual  and  commend  it  to 
our  affection.  We  have  seen,  that  in  this  manner 
the  followers  of  our  Master  worshipped,  even  in  the 
Apostolic  age.  When,  therefore,  we  are  called  to 
abandon  it,  and  adopt  in  its  place  the  extemporaneous 
effusions  of  man  in  our  public  worship,  may  we  not 
reply  in  the  words  of  Scripture — "  We  have  no  such 
custom,  neither  the  Churches  of  God?"  We  will  not 
fear  to  walk  in  our  Lord's  footsteps,  and  to  follow 
those  ancient  confessors  and  martyrs,  who,  in  the 
earliest,  purest  days  of  our  faith,  amidst  sufferings 
and  trials  won  their  way  to  Heaven.  Did  they  lack 
spirrtuality,  or  find  their  devotion  cramped  and  nar- 
rowed down  by  the  words  of  a  Liturgy  ?     Has  the 

a  Wlien  George  Herbert  was  on  his  death-bed,  he  said 
to  Mr.  Duncon,  wlio  had  come  to  visit  him — "  Sir,  I  see  by 
your  habit  tiiat  you  are  a  priest,  and  desire  you  to  pray  with 
me."  Which  being  granted,  Mr.  Duncon  asked  him — "What 
prayers .'"  To  which  Mr.  Herbert's  answer  was — "  O,  sir,  the 
prayers  of  my  mother,  the  Church  of  England :  no  other 
prayers  are  equal  to  them."      Walton's  Lives,  p.  339. 

® ® 


® 


-® 


178 


ANTIQUITY  OF  FORMS  OF  PRAYER. 


whole  Christian  Church  been  in  a  grievous  error  on 
this  subject,  until  within  the  last  three  hundred 
years  ?  No,  brethren ;  and  the  best  we  can  do  in  our 
feebleness  is,  to  tread  in  the  old  paths,  and  to  "  hold 
fast  to  the  form  of  sound  words"  which  was  used  "  in 
our  fathers'  days,  and  in  the  old  time  before  them." 
Our  venerable  Liturgy  speaks  to  us  in  the  language 
of  God's  own  word.  Let  us  strive  to  imbibe  its  holy 
spirit,  and  we  shall  need  no  better  preparation  for. 
death.  And  when  at  last  the  worship  of  the  earthly 
sanctuary  is  over,  we  shall  be  admitted  to  join  in  that 
service  which  the  redeemed  in  glory  use,  as  ever,  day 
without  night,  they  circle  the  throne  rejoicing,  and 
raise  the  lofty  anthem — "  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that 
was  slain,  to  receive  power,  and  riches,  and  wisdom, 
and  strength,  and  honor,  and  glory,  and  blessing." 


®- 


-® 


® ® 


HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY. 


Mine  is  no  solitary  choice, 

See  here  the  seal  of  saints  impress'd; 
The  prayer  of  millions  swells  my  voice, 

The  mind  of  ages  fills  my  breast. 

The  Liturgy. 


® — ® 


®- 


® 


HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY. 


® 


The  sixteenth  century  opened  upon  a  scene  un- 
equalled in  the  history  of  the  world.  The  power  of 
the  Church  of  Rome  was  dominant  through  Europe. 
The  opposition  of  the  Albigenses  had  been  extin- 
guished in  their  blood,  and  all  was  apparently  peace 
in  Western  Christendom.  The  institution  of  the 
Orders  of  St.  Francis  and  St.  Dominic  had  added  a 
new  element  of  strength  to  the  Romish  See.  The 
members  of  these  fraternities  wandered  through 
every  land,  mingling  with  the  mighty  masses  of  the 
great  city,  or  diligently  in  each  lonely  valley  seeking 
out  "the  few  sheep  in  the  wilderness,"  and  every- 
where they  were  the  sworn  servants  of  the  Vatican — 
ready  to  teach  its  doctrines,  and  to  do  its  bidding. 
The  Pontiffs  acted  in  the  spirit  of  their  loftiest  pre- 
tensions, deposing  princes,  and  bestowing  kingdoms 
at  their  will,  yet  everywhere  they  seemed  to  be 
obeyed. 

9 


® 


(S) ® 

182  HISTORY    OF    OUR    LITURGY. 

But  this  universal  peace  was  hollow  and  decep- 
tive. A  day  of  awakening  for  the  human  mind  was 
at  hand.  Learning  had  begun  to  come  down  from 
its  high  places,  to  enlighten  the  multitude.  The  re- 
mains of  that  literature,  which  ages  before  had  called 
forth  the  plaudits  of  assembled  Greece,  or  awakened 
the  genius  of  Rome's  noblest  orators,  was  again 
taken  down  from  the  dusty  shelves  of  monasteries  ; 
and  thus  "  in  this  setting  part  of  Time,"  a  new  audi- 
ence was  created  to  listen  to  the  strains  of  Homer,  or 
to  muse  over  the  glorious  reveries  of  Plato.  By  this 
means  the  intellect  of  man  was  quickened  into  action, 
and  reason  once  more  asserted  its  claims.  The  moral 
sense,  too,  of  that  generation  was  outraged  by  the 
sight  of  a  pontiff  like  Julius,  emulating  the  fame  of  a 
warrior,  and  embroiling  kingdoms  in  his  mad  ambi- 
tion ;  or  one  like  Leo,  passing  life  in  an  unbroken 
dream  of  graceful  voluptuousness,  and  scoffing  at  the 
mysteries  of  our  faith  as  long-since  refuted  fables. 
Beneath  this  quiet  surface,  therefore,  the  public  mind 
was  stirred  up  to  its  lowest  depths.  A  restless,  eager 
spirit  of  inquiry  was  abroad.  The  question,  "  What 
is  truth  ?"  was  earnestly  asked.  A  craving  after 
spiritual  freedom  and  purity  was  deeply  felt.  The 
successor  of  St.  Peter  stood  upon  a  volcano,  though 
the  landscape  was  smiling  around  him,  and  he  per- 
ceived not  the  beginning  of  its  heavings. 

Is  it  wonderful,  then,  when  the  storm  at  last  came, 
and  the  human  intellect  burst  the  fetters  by  which 
Rome  would  bind  it  down,  that  a  scene  of  wild  con- 

® ® 


® -(3) 

HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY.  183 

fusion  ensued  ?  Was  it  not  natural,  that  men  should 
pass  at  once  to  the  opposite  extreme,  and  rejoicing  in 
their  newly  acquired  freedom,  indulge  in  the  strang- 
est eccentricities  ?  It  was ;  and  therefore  we  are 
prepared  to  behold  in  that,  an  age  "  emulous  of 
change" — an  age  whose  motto  was — "  old  things 
have  passed  away — all  things  have  become  new." 
In  less  than  fifty  years  from  the  first  controversy  be- 
tween Luther  and  Tetzel,  Protestantism  had  attained 
to  its  highest  ascendency  on  the  Continent.  For  the 
first  time  the  love  of  novelty  could  be  indulged,  and 
this  liberty  was  used  to  the  utmost. 

The  first  half  of  the  sixteenth  century  was  the  age 
of  experiments,  the  fruits  of  which,  in  weal  or  woe,  this 
generation  has  inherited.  Among  other  changes 
made — as  we  showed  you  in  the  last  lecture — was 
that  which  related  to  the  manner  of  public  worship. 
Those  societies  which  had  abandoned  the  Church 
with  her  Apostolic  ministry,  in  many  cases  gave  up 
her  ancient  Ritual  also,  and  trusted  to  have  their  de- 
votions led  by  the  extemporaneous  effusions  of  those 
who  might  minister  to  them.'' 

a  The  early  Reformers  tliemselves  were  often  too  clear- 
sighted not  to  perceive  the  evil  of  this  step,  but  it  was  taken 
by  their  followers,  and,  in  truth,  naturally  grew  out  of  the 
state  of  feeling  we  have  described.  We  will  give  some  of 
their  recorded  opinions  in  favor  of  a  Liturgy. 

"  For  so  much  as  concerneth  the  form  of  prayer  and 
ecclesiastical  rites,  I  much  approve  that  it  be  determined  so 
that  it  may  not  be  lawful  for  the  ministers  in  their  adminis- 
tration to  vary  from  it;  as  well  to  help  the  simplicity  and  un- 

® ■ ® 


® (?) 

184  HISTORY    OF    OUR    LITURGY. 

In  this  respect,  as  in  all  others  in  this  great  crisis 
of  her  history,  the  Church  in  England  was  enabled  to 
act  more  wisely.  As  she  had  retained  the  Apostolic 
ministry  which  had  been  handed  down  for  1500  years, 
so  she  preserved  her  Ritual,  only  throwing  out  those 
things  which  were  not  primitive,  but  were  corrup- 
tions which  had  gradually  crept  in  during  the  dark- 
ness of  the  few  preceding  centuries.     Thus  our  ser- 

skilfulness  of  some,  as  that  the  uniformity  of  all  the  several 
congregations  may  better  appear;  and,  finally,  that  the  desul- 
tory and  capricious  lightness  of  such  as  aifect  novelties  may 
be  encountered  and  stopped."  Calvin  s  Letter  to  Protector 
Somerset. 

"  We  account  it  grievous  to  contemn  all  those  holy 
Churches,  which  from  the  times  of  the  Apostles,  and  of  the 
primitive  Church,  unto  this  day,  have  celebrated  the  public 
worship  of  God  out  of  prescribed  forms — wherefore,  we 
blame  the  over-nice  singularity  of  those  men  who  would  cast 
out  all  prescribed  forms  from  divine  worship."  Letter  from 
the  Walachrian  Chassis  of  Zealand  to  the  Assembly  of  Divines 
in  London,  1646. 

"  Any  one  may  satisfy  himself,  from  a  view  of  all  the 
particulars,  that  in  the  ancient  Church,  the  whole  of  divine 
worship  was  administered  by  prescribed  forms.  The  ques- 
tion is,  whether  every  minister  should  have  liberty  of  ob- 
truding private  prayers,  which  he  lias  himself  composed, 
with  which  no  one  else  is  acquainted,  and  to  which  the 
Church  is  unaccustomed,  instead  of  forms  matured  with  grave 
deliberation  by  the  servants  of  Christ,  revised  by  the  higher 
officers  of  the  Church,  and  approved  by  the  Synod.  This 
liberty  we  do  not  grant."  Preface  to  the  Agenda  or  Book  of 
Common  Prayer  in  the  Reformed  Churches  of  Poland  and 
Lithuania.     Dated  at  Thorn,  A.  D.  1636. 

® ■ ® 


® ® 

HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY.  185 

vice  was  merely  restored  to  its  ancient  purity.  Each 
view,  therefore,  which  we  gain  of  the  true  state  of 
feeling  in  those  times  of  excitement  and  change, 
deepens  our  gratitude  to  that  kind  Providence  which 
so  plainly  led  our  Mother  Church  "  in  the  way  where- 
in she  should  go," — overruled  every  thing  for  good — 
and  prepared  her  to  be  in  all  ages  "  the  Witness  and 
Keeper"  of  the  Truth. 

This  evening,  then,  we  will  endeavor  to  go  back 
to  the  early  ages  of  the  Church,  and  show  you  the 
origin  of  our  Liturgy — the  different  changes  through 
which  it  passed,  as  it  was  gradually  compiled  in  the 
course  of  centuries,  until  it  finally  assumed  the  form 
in  which  it  now  is  in  our  Prayer  Book.  It  will  surely 
be  interesting  to  us  as  Churchmen,  to  know  from 
whence  came  this  precious  legacy,  which,  while  it 
ministers  to  the  spirituality  of  those  who  now  unite  in 
its  services,  has  performed  also  the  same  holy  office 
for  many  generations  of  the  saints  who  have  gone 
before  us.  There  is  another  object,  also,  to  be  an- 
swered by  this  investigation.  We  are  often  told,  that 
the  Church  in  England,  from  which  our  own  is  de- 
rived, was  founded  by  the  Romish  Church,  and  has 
merely  seceded  from  her,  while  our  Prayer  Book  is 
nothing  but  an  alteration  of  the  Romish  Breviary.  I 
trust,  that  the  historical  inquiries  into  which  we  shall 
be  led  in  this  Lecture,  will  demonstrate  to  your  satis- 
faction, that  neither  of  these  charges  is  correct — that 
the  British  Church  existed,  pure  and  independent, 
centuries  before  the  Bishop  of  Rome  had  any  author- 

®- — — 


®- 


i 


186         HISTORY  OP  OUR  LITURGY. 

ity  in  that  land,  and  that  her  Ritual  is  derived  from 
the  Primitive  Liturgies  v^^hich  were  in  existence 
during  those  early  ages,  in  which  corruption  had  not 
yet  begun  to  invade  the  Church  of  Rome. 

Let  us  look,  then,  at  the  origin  of  the  Church  in 
that  island.  Is  she  indebted  to  Rome  for  her  exist- 
ence ?  So  far  from  this  being  the  case,  we  know  that 
the  Christian  faith  was  professed  in  Britain,  even  in  the 
Apostles'  days,  and  when  the  Church  of  Rome  her- 
self was  but  in  the  feebleness  of  her  infancy.  While 
the  Pantheon  was  yet  filled  with  its  multitude  of  gods, 
and  day  by  day  there  ascended  the  smoke  of  sacrifice 
to  the  Capitoline  Jupiter — when  Christianity  in  Rome 
was  only  recognized  as  "  a  pernicious  superstition,'"' 
the  adherents  of  which  were  doomed  to  the  fire  and 
the  stake,  even  then,  the  name  of  Christ  was  honored 
on  the  banks  of  the  Thames,  and  prayers  went  up  to 
Him  in  the  strange  tongue  of  those  on  whom  Cicero 
poured  his  contempt  when  he  wrote  to  Atticus,"  and 
who  formed  the  subject  of  his  jest  with  Trebatius,  as 
he  warned  him  against  a  horde  of  Celtic  barbarians.'' 
This  fact  is  fully  proved  by  the  testimony  of  ancient 
writers.  Gildas,  a  native  of  Britain,  and  Abbot  of 
Bangor,  speaking  of  the  birth  of  our  Lord  in  the  days 
of  Tiberius,  and  the  fatal  victory  of  the  Romans  over 
Boadicea,  which  took  place  about  the  middle  of  the 
reign  of  Nero,  says — "  In  the  mean  time" — that  is, 

b  Tacitus,  Annal.  xv.  44.  c  Ep.  ad  Att.  iv.  16. 

d  Ep.  Fam.  vii.  7,  11. 


~® 


® ® 

HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY.  187 

in  the  interval  between  these  two  events — "  Christ, 
the  true  Sun,  afforded  his  rays — that  is,  the  know- 
ledge of  his  precepts — to  this  island,  shivering  with 
icy  cold.'"  Eusebius,  in  his  third  book  of  Evangeli- 
cal Demonstration,  when  showing  that  the  Apostles 
"  preached  their  doctrine  in  the  remotest  cities  and 
countries,"  adds  particularly,  "  that  some  passed  over 
the  ocean,  inl  rug  naXov^ivaq  BqixxaviKuq  vrjaovg,  to 
those  which  are  called  the  British  islands."^  Ter- 
tullian,  A.  D.  190,  says — "  There  are  places  in  Bri- 
tain inaccessible  to  the  Roman  arms,  which  were  sub- 
dued to  Christ."=  Origen,  A.  D.  230,  writes — 
"  When  did  Britain,  before  the  coming  of  Christ, 
unite  in  the  worship  of  one  God  ?'"'  and  again,  "  The 
power  of  God  our  Saviour  is  ever  with  them  in  Bri- 
tain, who  are  divided  from  our  world."'  And,  to 
give  one  more  authority,  St.  Chrysostom  says — "  The 
British  Islands,  situated  beyond  our  sea,  and  lying  in 
the  very  ocean,  have  felt  the  power  of  the  word,  for 
even  there  churches  are  built  and  altars  erected. "J 

The  unvarying  tradition  of  the  early  Church 
points  out  the  Apostle  Paul  as  the  one  by  whom  the 
doctrines  of  the  Cross  were  preached  in  that  land. 

c  Stillingfleet's  Orig.  Brit.  p.  4.  According  to  Usher, 
(Brit.  Eccles.  Antiq.  p.  278,)  Gildas  wrote  his  liistory  about 
A.  D.  564.  To  this  Du  Pin  agrees,  (Eccles.  Hist.  Cent,  vi.) 
and  also  Collier,  (Eccles.  Hist.  lib.  i.  p.  61.) 

f  Stillingfleet's  Orig.  Brit.  p.  37. 

g  Adv.  Jud.  c.  7.  li  In  Ezek.  Rom.  iv. 

i  Luke  c.  i. ;  Rom.  vi.  j  Tom.  vi.  p.  635. 

® ® 


® ® 

188         HISTORY  OP  OUR  LITURGY. 

Clemens  Romanus  and  Jerome  speak  of  his  travel- 
ling "  to  the  utmost  bounds  of  the  West " — of  his 
"  preaching  as  far  as  the  extremity  of  the  earth" — 
and  "preaching  the  Gospel  in  the  western  parts" — 
expressions  which  Stillingfleet  has  fully  shown  from 
other  writers  were  always  used  in  that  age  with  re- 
ference to  the  British  isles.''  He  has  also  classified 
the  evidence  on  this  subject  by  showing — 1st.  From 
St.  Paul's  circumstances,  that  he  had  leisure  and  op- 
portunity enough  to  have  gone  to  Britain.  2d.  From 
the  circumstances  of  Britain,  there  was  encourage- 
ment and  invitation  enough  for  him  to  have  gone. 
3d.  From  the  circumstances  of  the  rest  of  the 
Apostles,  that  he  was  the  most  likely  to  have  gone 
of  any.  The  most  direct  proof  on  this  point, 
however,  is  derived  from  an  assertion  by  Theo- 
doret,  which  shows  the  belief  in  his  day.  He  says — 
"  Our  fishermen  and  publicans,  and  he  icTio  teas  a 
tent-maker,  carried  the  Evangelical  precepts  to  all 
nations ;  not  only  to  those  who  lived  under  the 
Roman  jurisdiction,  but  also  to  the  Scythians,  and 
the  Hunns ;  besides  to  the  Indians,  Britains,  and 
Germans."'  We  have,  therefore,  no  hesitation  in 
agreeing  with  the  learned  Camden,  when  he  says — 
"  From  these  authorities  it  follows,  not  only  that  the 
Gospel  was  preached  in  Britain  in  the  times  of  the 
Apostles,  but  that  St.  Paul  himself  was  the  preacher 
of  it."'" 

k  Orig.  Brit,  p.  39.  1  Theod.  lib.  ix. 

m  Britannia,  Intro,  p.  86. 

® ^ 


® ® 

HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY.  189 

Such  then  is  the  historical  evidence  of  the  early 
establishment  of  the  Church,  in  that  island,  and  in 
every  succeeding  age  we  can  clearly  trace  its  pro- 
gress. The  old  historian  Bede  tells  us  of  Kings 
who  gloried  in  the  Cross,  and  sought  to  aid  its  tri- 
umphs, while  it  is  to  this  cause  we  must  ascribe  the 
gradual  dying  out  of  the  superstition  of  the  Druids, 
which  after  the  second  century  of  Christianity  is  no 
longer  to  be  met  with  in  the  history  of  the  country. 
Neither  did  her  remote  situation  shield  this  Church 
from  the  rage  of  persecution,  but  in  the  reign  of  Dio- 
cletian she  was  called  to  give  up  also  her  witnesses 
for  the  truth.  There,  too,  "  the  blood  of  the  martyrs 
was  the  seed  of  the  Church."  Foremost  in  that 
glorious  band  who  "  counted  not  their  lives  dear 
unto  themselves,"  the  annals  of  that  day  tell  us  of 
St.  Alban,  whose  name  still  remains  in  the  scene  of 
his  simple  faith,  when  more  than  fifteen  centuries 
have  passed  away.  Her  Bishops  were  present  and 
assisting  at  the  council  of  Aries,  convened  in  314  by 
the  Emperor  Constantine  from  all  the  Western 
Churches,  to  take  cognizance  of  the  Donatist  con- 
troversy."     Again,    in   the  year   325,   we   find  the 

n  Tlieir  subscriptions  stand  in  this  way — 
Eborius    Episcopiis,    de    civitate   Eboracensi  Provincia 

Britannia. 
Restitutus  Episcopus,  de  civitate  Londinen.si. 
AiiELSics  Episcopus,  de  civitate  colonia  Londinensium. 
The  Diocese  of  tiiis  last  Bishop  has   been  the   subject   of 
much  dispute,  since  it  is  evidently  a  mistake  as  it  here  stands. 
Archbishop  Ussher  supposes  it  to  be  Cair-Colun,  (Prim.  60, 
9* 

(5) ( 


® ® 

190  HISTORY    OF    OUR    LITURGY. 

British  Bishops  at  the  council  of  Nice ;    also  in  347 
at  Sardica  ;    and  in  359  at  the  Synod  of  Ariminum, 

195,)  which  means  the  city  of  Chester  Selden  (in  Eutch. 
118)  and  Sir  H.  Spelman  {Cone.  i.  p.  39)  both  refer  it  to  the 
Old  Colony  of  Camalodunum.  The  supposition  of  Stilling- 
fleet  {Orig.  Brit.  77)  is,  that  he  was  from  the  third  province 
of  Britannia  Secunda,  where  was  a  colony  of  the  Eleventh 
Legion  Therefore,  this  Bishop  Adelsius  came  ex  Civit.  Col. 
Leg.  11,  which  an  ignorant  transcriber  might  easily  turn  to 
ex  Civit.  Col.  Londin.  Stillingfleet  also  says,  "  There  being 
but  three  bishops  present  at  the  council  of  Aries,  is  so  far 
from  being  an  argument  that  there  were  no  more  in  Britain, 
that  it  is  rather  an  argument  to  the  contratry,  since  it  was 
the  custom  to  send  but  one  or  two  out  of  a  province  where 
they  were  most  numerous."  (p.  78.)  This  is  confirmed  by 
the  Emperor's  summons  to  Chrestus,  Bishop  of  Syracuse, 
which  is  the  only  imperial  summons  to  this  council  extant, 
(Euseb.  Eccl.  Hist.  lib.  x.  cap.  5,)  and  which  Baronius  be- 
lieves was  in  the  same  form  with  the  rest.  In  this  summons, 
Chrestus  is  required  to  come  out  of  that  province  and  bring 
two  priests  with  him.  And  St.  Hilary,  in  speaking  of  the 
councils  in  his  day,  says — "  That  one  or  two  Bishops  were 
sent  for  out  of  a  Province."  (Collier's  Eccles.  Hist.  v.  i.  p.  26.) 
It  is  worth  while  to  observe  the  conduct  of  this  council 
to  the  Bishop  of  Rome,  who  was  not  present,  that  we  may 
see  how  little  in  that  day  they  dreamed  of  his  supremacy. 
They  send  their  decrees  to  him  only  "  to  make  them  more 
public."  They  call  him  "Dear  Brother,"  and  express  their 
regret  that  he  had  not  been  there,  as  they  would  have  been 
glad  of  his  vote  and  company.  Or,  as  it  is  in  the  Latin — 
"  Et  utinam,  Fratcr  Dilectissime,  ad  hoc  tantum  Spectaculum 
interesses,  et  te  pariter  nobiscum  judicante,  cojtus  noster 
majore  latitia  exultasset."  {Collier,  v.  i.  p.  28,  and  Stilling- 
ficeVs  Orig.  Brit.  p.  86.) 

® — ^® 


® -® 

HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY.  191 

where  Bishops  from  all  parts  of  the  West  had  as- 
sembled." 

This,  then,  is  the  first  historical  fact  to  which 
I  would  call  your  attention.  You  perceive  that  the 
British  Church  was  not  derived  originally  from  that 
of  Rome.  She  subsisted  entirely  independent  of  the 
Church  in  Italy  until  the  close  of  the  sixth  century, 
bound  to  her  only  by  friendship  and  amity,  as  she 
was  to  all  other  Churches  throughout  the  world. 
She  owed  no  subjection  to  any  foreign  power,  nor  is 
there  a  record  of  any  Romish  Ecclesiastic  in  that 
island  until  the  year  506.^ 

What,  then,  during  these  six  centuries  was  the 
Liturgy  used  in  our  Mother  Church  ?    We  mentioned 
to  you  in  the  last  Lecture,  that  there  were  still  exist- 
There  were  also  present  vpith  the  British  Bishops,  Sacer- 
dos,  a  Presbyter,  and  Arminius,  a  Deacon  of  the  Church, 
o  Collier's  Eccl.  Hist.  v.  i.  p.  28,  37. 

p  It  was  a  Church  ancient  and  glorious  many  hundred 
years  before  Popery  began,  being  planted  by  the  hands  of  the 
Apostles,  as  some  affirm  upon  no  improbable  conjecture  ;  but 

we  are  assured  from  history,  very  near  those  days 

And  this  British  Church  was  renowned  throughout  the 
world,  flourishing  under  Bishops  and  a  glorious  priesthood, 
till  about  the  seventh  century  ;  when  the  Bishop  of  Rome 
claiming  a  supremacy  over  other  Bishops,  the  Church  of 
Rome  claimed  the  same  over  other  Churches,  and  from  the 
precedence  of  an  elder  sister  leapt  into  the  authority  of  a 

parent Under  her  corruj)tions,  this  Churcli,  like 

her  other  sisters,  sate  down  a  contented  captive  many  hun- 
dred years,  till  the  great  release  of  the  Reformation."  Bisse 
on  "  The  beauty  of  holiness  in  the  Common  Prayer,"  p.  11,12. 

^ g) 


® (i) 

192         HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY. 

ing  four  Great  Liturgies,  which  had  come  down  to 
us  from  Primitive  times,  and  were  the  original 
sources  from  which  all  others  were  derived.  These 
were  called  after  the  names  of  St.  James,  St.  John, 
St.  Peter,  and  St.  Mark,  and  from  their  origin  in  the 
first  age  of  our  faith,  were  of  course  similar  in  their 
general  features.  The  Liturgy  of  St.  John  was 
used  not  only  in  the  East  by  the  Ephesian  Church, 
but  also  in  Western  Europe,  and  from  the  Galilean 
Church  the  Christians  in  Britain  received  it.  Such, 
at  all  events,  was  the  testimony  of  tradition  among 
those  by  whom  it  had  been  adopted.  The  ancient 
author,  whose  tract  has  been  published  by  Spelman, 
and  who  is  allowed  by  all  critics  to  have  written  not 
later  than  the  beginning  of  the  eighth  century,  thus 
positively  affirms  it — "  John  the  Evangelist  first 
chanted  the  Galilean  course;  then  afterwards,  the 
blessed  Polycarp,  disciple  of  St.  John  ;  then  after- 
wards, thirdly,  Irenaeus,  who  was  Bishop  of  Lyons  in 
Gaul,  chanted  the  same  course  in  Gaul.'"^ 

The  Church  of  Rome  during  this  period  was  using 
the  Liturgy  of  St.  Peter,  which  varied  in  some  parti- 
culars from  that  of  St.  John,  which  the  Western 
Church  had  adopted.  We  learn  this  from  the  inter- 
rogation which  St.  Augustine  addressed  to  Pope 
Gregory,  at  the  close  of  the  sixth  century.  He  asked 
— "  Why  the  customs  of  Churches  are  different, 
when  their  faith  is  the  same,  and  one  custom  of 
Liturgy  prevails  in  the  Church  of  Rome,  another  in 
q  Spelman,  Concilia,  torn.  i.  p.  176. 

® — — ® 


® ® 

HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY.  193 

those  of  Gaul?'"  And  again,  in  his  effort  to  bring 
the  British  Church  under  the  dominion  of  Rome,  he 
addressed  her  Bishops  in  the  following  terms — "  In 
many  respects  you  act  in  a  manner  contrary  to  our 
customs,  and  indeed  to  those  of  the  universal  Church  ; 
and  yet,  if  you  will  obey  me  in  these  three  things,  to 
celebrate  Easter  at  the  proper  time ;  to  perform  the 
office  of  Baptism,  in  which  we  are  born  again  to  God, 
according  to  the  custom  of  the  Holy  Roman  and 
Apostolical  Church  ;  and  with  us  to  preach  the  Word 
of  God  to  the  English  nation  ;  we  will  tolerate  all 
your  other  customs,  though  contrary  to  our  own.'" 
It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  in  her  early  day  the 
British  Church  did  not  receive  her  Ritual  from  Rome. 
When,  then,  first  commenced  the  intercourse  be- 
tween these  two  Churches  ?  It  was  in  the  year  596 
that  Gregory,  Bishop  of  Rome,  carried  into  execution 
a  plan  he  had  long  cherished  of  sending  missionaries 
to  aid  in  the  conversion  of  the  Saxons.  For  this  pur- 
pose St.  Augustine  was  selected  with  forty  monks 
from  his  own  monastery  at  Rome.  Taking  with  him 
interpreters  from  France,  he  landed  at  the  island  of 
Thanct  with  his  company,  in  the  month  of  August  of 
that  year.  He  found  the  Church  in  Britain  regularly 
established,  although  weakened  by  the  opposition  of 

r  Bede,  Hist.  Eccles.  lib.  i.  c.  27. 

s  Ibid.  lib.  ii.  c.  2.  Collier  in  his  Eccles.  Hist.  lib.  i. 
p.  49 — 51,  has  given  the  points  of  difference  between  the 
Roman  Ritual,  and  that  of  the  Gallican  and  Anglican 
Churches. 

® ® 


® ® 

194         HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY. 

the  Pagan  Saxons,  who  had  in  some  parts  of  the 
country  driven  out  her  Bishops  and  caused  them  to 
take  refuge  in  Wales  ;  "  for  the  Saxons,"  as  the  old 
English  Chronicles  tell  us,  "  left  not  the  face  of 
Christianity,  wherever  they  did  prevail.'"  The  wor- 
ship of  the  Church  was,  as  we  have  shown,  with  their 
own  ancient  Liturgy,  while  their  Episcopal  organi- 
zation is  proved  by  the  correspondence  which  took 
place  between  Augustine  and  Gregory.  When  Au- 
gustine, in  asking  instructions,  inquires — "  How  he 
ought  to  manage  with  respect  to  the  Bishops  of  Brit- 
ain ?"  the  Pope  replied,  "  As  to  the  Bishops  of  Brit- 
ain, he  put  them  all  under  his  jurisdiction.""  From 
whence  he  derived  his  right  thus  to  give  Augustine 
authority  over  an  independent  Church,  it  would  be 
difficult  to  show. 

In  accordance  with  these  directions,  when  firmly 
established  in  the  island,  Augustine  invited  the  British 
Bishops  to  a  conference.  The  meeting  took  place  on 
the  banks  of  the  Severn,  at  a  place  long  afterwards  call- 
ed Augustine's  Oak.  There  were  seven  English  Bish- 
ops present, — probably  from  St.David's,  Llandaff,  Llan- 
badarn,  Bangor,  St.  Asaph,  Somerset,  and  Cornwall — 
besides  the  most  learned  men  from  Bangor -Iscoed, 
with  Dinoth,  their  abbot.'  No  efforts  of  Augustine 
however  could  induce  them  to  submit  to  the  jurisdic- 
tion of  Rome.     His  proposals  were  at  once  rejected, 

t  Stillingfleet's  Orig.  Brit.  p.  366. 
u  Collier's  Eccles.  Hist.  1.  ii.  p.  68. 
V  Bede,  1.  ii.  c.  2. 

® ® 


® ® 

HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY.  195 

and  the  reply  of  Dinoth,  which  is  still  preserved,  gives 
most  fully  the  views  of  his  Church.  Speaking  in  the 
name  of  his  brethren,  he  said — "That  the  British 
Churches  owe  the  deference  of  brotherly  kindness 
and  charity  to  the  Church  of  God,  and  to  the  Pope  of 
Rome,  and  to  all  Christians.  But  other  obedience 
than  this,  they  did  not  know  to  be  due  to  him,  whom 
they  called  Pope :  and  for  their  parts,  they  were 
under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Bishop  of  Caerleon  upon 
Usk,  who,  under  God,  was  their  spiritual  overseer 
and  director.""  Thus  it  was  that  the  free  spirit  of 
our  old  Mother  Church  spake  out. 

But  power  was  on  the  side  of  Rome,  and  all  the 
weight  of  her  influence  was  put  forth  to  bring  the 
Church  in  that  distant  island  under  subjection.  The 
Saxons,  too,  weakened  her  ranks  by  their  assaults,  and 
on  one  occasion  1200  priests  and  monks  were  slaugh- 
tered together,  when  they  had  posted  themselves  on 
an  eminence  near  the  field  of  battle  to  pray  for  the 
success  of  their  countrymen.''  Often  therefore  must 
the  members  of  that  stricken  and  suffering  Church 
have  been  forced  to  recall  as  prophetic,  the  parting 
threat  which  Augustine  had  addressed  to  them  at  the 

w  Collier  tells  us,  (Eccles.  Hist.  1.  ii.  p.  76,)  that  this  pas- 
sage, first  published  by  Spelman,  (Concilia,  v.  i.  p.  108, 109,) 
was  copied  by  him  "  from  an  old  manuscript,  which  had  also 
been  transcribed  from  an  older."  The  Romanists  have  at- 
tacked its  genuineness,  but  the  reader  will  see  their  arguments 
and  objections  answered,  in  Collier,  as  above,  StiUingflcefs 
Grig.  Brit.  p.  371,  and  Bingham's  Antiq.  Ecc.  ii.  9. 

X  Bede,  i.  ii.  c.  2. 

® (^ 


® ® 

196         HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY. 

close  of  his  conference — "  I  foresee  that  if  you  will 
not  have  peace  with  brethren,  you  will  have  war  with 
foes;  and  if  you  will  not  preach  the  way  of  life  to  the 
English,  you  will  suffer  deadly  vengeance  at  their 
hands."  Yet  even  thus  depressed — with  the  savage 
cruelty  of  the  Pagans  on  the  one  side,  and  the  oppo- 
sition of  their  Christian  brethren  on  the  other — the 
old  British  Church  struggled  on,  maintaining  her 
rightful  and  dignified  position,  and  only  yielding  at 
last,  when  reduced  by  the  strong  arm  of  secular 
force.  It  took  therefore  five  centuries  of  conflict  to 
compel  her  into  submission  to  the  Romish  See,  nor 
was  it  until  the  Norman  conquest  that  the  authority 
of  the  Pope  can  be  considered  as  firmly  settled.'' 

y  "  There  doth  not  appear  much  of  tlie  Pope's  power  in 
this  realm  before  the  Conquest.  But  the  Pope  having  favored 
and  supported  King  William  I.  in  liis  invasion  of  this  king- 
dom, took  that  opportunity  of  enlarging  his  encroachments, 
and  in  this  King's  reign  began  to  send  his  legates  hither  ; 
and  prevailed  with  Henry  I.  to  give  up  tlie  donation  of 
Bishoprics  ;  and  in  the  time  of  King  Stephen  gained  the 
prerogative  of  appeals  ;  and  in  the  time  of  Henry  II.  exempted 
all  clerks  from  the  secular  power. 

"  And  not  long  after  this,  by  a  general  excommunication 
of  kings  and  people  for  several  years,  because  they  would 
not  suffer  an  Archbishop  to  be  imposed  upon  them,  King 
John  was  reduced  to  such  straits,  that  he  was  obliged  to  sur- 
render his  kingdoms  to  the  Pope,  and  to  receive  them  again, 
to  hold  of  him  at  a  rent  of  a  thousand  marks. 

"  And  in  the  following  reign  of  Henry  III.,  partly  from 
the  profit  of  our  best  Church  benefices,  which  were  generally 
given  to  Italians  and  others  residing  at  the  Court  of  Rome, 

® — ————— g, 


9 ; 

HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY.  197 

Then  for  four  centuries  and  a  half,  the  same  dark- 
ness which  had  settled  upon  the  rest  of  Western 
Christendom,  seemed  to  have  gathered  over  Britain 
also.  The  spirit  of  Popery  everywhere  prevailed,  and 
the  Church  of  England  was  bowed  down  at  the  feet 
of  a  foreign  Bishop.  Yet  the  breath  and  pulse  of  life 
had  not  yet  ceased.  Scattered  through  the  land 
during  all  these  years  were  those  who  saw  her  fall, 
and  mourned  over  it  in  secret.  Occasionally  too  they 
spake  out,  and  boldly  bore  witness  against  this  cor- 
ruption, although  it  was  at  the  peril  of  their  lives. 
The  page  of  Ecclesiastical  History  in  this  way  records 
the  names  of  Grostete — whose  best  encomium  is  that 
exulting  exclamation  of  Pope  Innocent,  on  hearing  of 
his  death,  "  I  rejoice,  and  let  every  true  son  of  the 
Church  rejoice  with  me,  that  my  great  enemy  is  re- 
moved"— and  Fitzralph,  and  Wiclif,  who  in  succes- 
sion entered  their  protest  againts  the  evils  of  Romish 
dominion.  These  were  men,  who  knew  the  right, 
and  having  solemnly  counted  the  cost,  shrunk  not 
from  an  open  conflict  with  the  crushing  power  of 
Rome.  Alone — uncheered  by  the  loud  voice  of  popu- 
lar sympathy — supported  only  by  the  purity  of  their 
intentions   and  the   goodness  of  their    cause,    they 

and  partly  by  the  taxes  imposed  by  the  Pope,  there  went  yearly 
out  of  the  kingdom,  seventy  thousand  pounds — an  immense 
sum  in  those  days."  Burn's  Ecclesiastical  Law,  v.  iii.  p.  108. 
Such  was  the  gradual  progress  of  Papal  encroachments  in 
England.  It  will  be  observed,  that  the  reign  of  William  the 
Conqueror  commenced  in  1066,  and  that  of  Henry  VIII.  in 
1509.     The  period  between  embraces  only  443  years. 

® ® 


® ® 

198  HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY. 

stepped  forth  from  their  cloistered  retirement,  and 
endured  "  the  dust  and  heat"  of  this  battle  which  was 
waged  for  the  best  interests  of  man.  For  them,  per- 
secution had  no  perils  by  which  it  could  terrify,  but 
receiving  the  torch  of  truth  from  each  other's  hands, 
they  bore  it  steadily  onward,  and  thus  acted  as  the 
heralds  of  the  coming  Reformation.''     Thus  it  was, 

z  "  It  would  be  easy  to  show,  that  during  this  whole 
period  there  were  leading  men  in  the  English  Church  who 
made  bold  stand  not  only  against  the  usurpations,  but  also 
against  the  corruptions  of  the  Romish  Church.  Even  Arch- 
bishop Dunstan,  in  many  things  subservient  to  the  Pope,  did 
not  hesitate  to  set  at  defiance  the  Papal  mandate,  when  he 
deemed  it  unjust  or  improper,  A.  D.  961.  And  Alfric  Puttock, 
Archbishop  of  York,  from  1023  to  1050,  openly  impugned  the 
doctrine  of  transubstantiation.  In  his  '  Sermon  to  be  spoken 
to  the  people  at  Easter,  before  they  receive  the  holy  housel,' 
(communion,)  he  teaches  doctrines  that  would  now  be  con- 
sidered orthodox  by  sound  theologians.  In  the  next  century, 
Gilbert  Foliath,  consecrated  Bishop  of  Hereford,  1148,  trans- 
lated to  London,  11G3,  died  1187,  set  at  defiance  the  Papal 
authority,  and  though  twice  excommunicated  by  the  Pope, 
paid  no  regard  to  the  thunders  of  the  Vatican.  Cotemporary 
with  Foliath,  was  Ormin  the  poet,  whose  works  present  us 
with  the  purest  English,  and  the  purest  doctrines  of  that  age. 
The  next  century  was  rendered  famous  by  Robert  Grostete, 
or  Greathead,  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  from  1234  to  1258.  In 
1247,  a  demand  was  made  by  the  Pope  for  6000  marks, 
(about  £50,000,)  and  he  had  the  courage  to  refuse  to  levy  it 
until  he  had  the  sense  of  the  nation  upon  it.  He  visited 
Rome,  and  protested  against  its  corruptions,  before  the  Pope 
and  Cardinals.  After  his  return,  the  Pope  again  tried  his 
courage  by  collating  an  Italian  youth  to  a  vacant  Canonry  in 
the  Cathedral  of  Lincoln.     But  Grostete  was  inflexible.    He 

® -® 


^ ® 

HISTORY    OF    OUR    LITURGY.  199 

that  the  faith  had  ever  some  to  witness  for  it  in  that 
land.  But  the  Church,  even  with  these  seeds  of  truth 
within  her  breast — these  germs  of  future  purity  and 
life — like  the  Pilgrims  in  their  Progress  to  the 
Celestial  City,  slumbered  on  the  Enchanted  ground. 
For  a  time  she  bowed  to  the  witchery  of  that  spell 
which  Rome  had  cast  over  her,  and  suffered  her 
senses  to  be  overpowered  by  the  incantations  of  that 
oppressor  who  had  led  her  into  captivity.  But  at 
length,  the  hour  of  her  redemption  came,  and  a  voice 
broke  in  upon  her,  crying,  "  Sleep  no  more."  Then 
her  dream  was  dispelled,  and  shaking  from  her  gar- 
ments the  dust  of  ages,  she  came  forth  in  her  ancient 
strength.  She  had  discerned  a  vision  of  the  Truth, 
which,  while  it  made  her  free,  enabled  her  also  to  pro- 
claim spiritual  freedom  to  the  world. 

You  perceive,  then,  how  groundless  is  the  charge, 
that  the  Church  of  England,  and  of  course  our  own 
Church,  are  only  seceders  from  that  of  Rome.  The 
whole  statement  of  the  case  is  briefly  this — that  the 
Italian  Bisliops  invaded  the  British  branch  of  the 
Catholic  or  Universal  Church,  which  after  a  long 
struggle  was  for  a  time  reduced  to  submission,  yet 
ultimately  her  rights  were  recovered,  and  this  foreign 

set  at  nought  the  Pope's  commands,  for  wliich  lie  was  ex- 
communicated. But  the  thunderbolt  fell  harmless  at  his  feet, 
and  he  died  in  peaceful  possession  of  his  See.  Other  exam- 
ples of  a  similar  nature  occur,  but  these  are  amply  sufficient 
to  show  that  many  of  the  clergy  asserted  that  in  their  w^rit- 
ings  to  which  they  assented  in  their  legislative  capacities." 
Ckapin's  Prim.  Church,  p.  380. 

® ® 


® ® 

200  HISTORY    OF     OUR    LITURGY. 

jurisdiction  thrown  off.  Successive  councils  of  the 
Church  had  declared  the  independence  of  each  par- 
ticular branch,  and  the  Bishops  of  Rome  therefore 
had  no  authority  in  that  island.  The  sixth  canon  of 
the  Council  of  Nice,  A.  D.  325,  commanded  that  the 
"ancient  customs  should  prevail,"  and  the  "privi- 
leges of  Churches  be  preserved."  In  like  manner, 
the  Council  of  Ephesus,  A.  D.  430,  forbade  Bishops 
to  assume  jurisdiction  over  provinces,  which  had  not 
from  the  beginning  been  subject  to  their  predecessors. 
It  enjoined  on  all  who  might  have  taken  such  prov- 
inces an  immediate  restitution,  and  decreed  "  that 
cvei'i/  province  should  preserve  pure  and  inviolate  the 
rights  which  it  had  from  the  beginning;  that" — as 
the  Council  added,  with  a  degree  of  prophetic  wis- 
dom— "the  Canons  of  the  Fathers  may  not  be  trans- 
gressed, nor  the  pride  of  worldly  dominion  enter,  under 
the  pretence  of  the  sacred  ministry."^  At  that  time 
the  Church  in  Britain  was  independent  of  the  Roman 
patriarch ;  what  right,  then,  had  he  afterwards  to  as- 
sume and  enforce  jurisdiction?  Mr.  Dodsworth  has 
thus  briefly  summed  up  the  whole  question — "  I  re- 
peat, what  is  so  essential  in  these  days  for  every 
Churchman  to  remember,  that  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land NEVER  SEPARATED  FROM  THE  ChURCH  OF  RoME. 

It  was  originally  an  independent  Church  ;  founded, 
not  by  emissaries  from  Rome,  but  at  a  period  not  far 
removed  from  Apostolic  times,  and  perhaps  even  by 

a  Palmer's  Orig.  Liturgicte,  v.  ii.  p.  263. 
® ® 


® . ® 

HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY.         201 

an  Apostle  himself.  ....  It  was  not  till  the  period 
of  the  Conquest,  in  the  middle  of  the  eleventh  century, 
that  Rome  assumed  any  thing  like  an  ascendency  over 
our  Church,  and  then  it  was  not  without  a  long  and 
arduous  struggle  that  she  established  it.  So  that  the 
real  fact  of  the  case  is  this ; — that  out  of  eighteen 
CENTURIES,  during  which  the  Church  of  England  has 
existed,  somewhat  less  than  four  centuries  and  a 
HALF  were  passed  under  the  usurped  domination  of 
the  See  of  Rome  :  so  great  is  the  absurdity,  and  pal- 
pable ignorance  of  historical  facts,  evinced  by  those 
who  represent  the  Church  of  England  as  a  separated 
branch  from  the  Romish  communion."" 

b  Discourses  on  Romanism  and  Dissent,  p.  168.  Dr.  Hook, 
of  Leeds,  Chaplain  to  the  Queen,  in  a  sermon  preached  in 
the  Chapel  Royal,  also  thus  finely  illustrates  this  point — 
"  About  two  years  ago  the  very  Cliapel  in  which  we  arc  now 
assembled,  was  repaired,  certain  disfigurements  removed, 
certain  improvements  made  ;  would  it  not  be  absurd  on  that 
account  to  contend  that  it  is  no  longer  the  Chapel  Royal  r 
Would  it  not  be  still  more  absurd  if  some  one  were  to  build 
a  new  Chapel  in  the  neighborhood,  imitating  closely  what 
this  Chapel  was  five  years  ago,  and  carefully  piling  up  all 
the  dust  and  rubbish  which  was  at  that  time  swept  from 
hence,  and  then  pronounce  that,  not  this,  to  be  the  ancient 
Chapel  of  the  Sovereigns  of  England?  The  absurdity  is  at 
once  apparent ;  but  this  is  precisely  what  has  been  done  by 
the  Roman  Catholic  or  Papist.  The  present  Church  of  Eng- 
land is  the  old  Catholic  Church  of  England,  reformed  in  the 
reigns  of  Henry,  Edward,  and  Elizabeth,  of  certain  supersti- 
tious errors  ;  it  is  the  same  Church  which  came  down  from 
our  British  and  Saxon  ancestors,  and,  as  such,  it  possesses 

^ — ® 


® ___ , ® 

202         HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY. 

Now  among  the  changes  which  took  place  during 
this  long  period  of  bondage,  the  ancient  and  primi- 
tive Liturgy  of  the  English  Church  suffered  also,  for 
the  overshadowing  power  of  Rome  was  too  great  to 
allow  the  continuance  in  use  of  this  precious  legacy 
from  former  ages.  It  necessarily  became  more  and 
more  assimilated  to  that  of  Italy.  The  tide  of  Romish 
priests  was  poured  in  from  the  continent — their  Bish- 
ops gradually  usurped  the  Sees  of  the  English  prelates 
— foreign  rites  and  ceremonies  were  taught  to  the 
people — new  doctrines,  such  as  the  worship  of  saints, 
the  adoration  of  the  Cross,  transubstantiation,  indul- 
gences, and  purgatory,  were  introduced — and  thus 
these  corruptions,  which  their  invaders  had  brought 
with  them,  were  gradually  ingrafted  upon  the  Ritual 
of  the  British  Church.  At  length  that  uniformity 
was  produced  which  it  is  ever  the  object  of  Rome  to 
attain,  and  so  the  Liturgy  remained  until  the  reign  of 
Henry  VIII. 

At  this  time  the  spirit  of  Reformation  commenced 
in  England,  and  the  Church,  having  first  thrown  off 
her  allegiance  to  the  Romish  See,  proceeded  to  purify 


its  original  endowments,  which  were  never,  as  ignorant  per- 
sons foolishly  suppose,  taken  from  one  Church  and  given  to 
another.  The  Church  remained  the  same  after  it  was  re- 
formed as  it  was  before,  just  as  a  man  remains  the  same  man 
after  he  has  washed  his  face,  as  he  was  before  ;  just  as  Naa- 
man,  the  leper,  remained  the  same  Naaman  after  he  was 
cured  of  his  leprosy,  as  he  was  before."  I 

® @ 


® . — —  ® 

HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY.         203 

her  service,  and  restore  it  to  its  ancient  form."  This 
however  was  not  done  hastily.  Time  was  taken,  and 
each  step  made  the  subject  of  careful  deliberation, 
and  profound  learning  called  in  to  aid,  and  a  thorough 
investigation  of  the  past  resorted  to,  during  every 
stage  of  the  compilation.  The  questions  were  often 
asked — "  What  is  to  be  retained,  because  it  is  Scrip- 
tural, Primitive,  and  Catholic  ?"  and — "  What  is  to 
be  stricken  out,  because  it  is  modern  and  Romish?" 
Their  own  ancient  existing  missals,  the  "  Uses,"  and 
other  ritual  books  of  York,  Sarum,  Hereford,  Bangor, 
and  Lincoln,*^  were  sought  out,  and  also  the  Primi- 

c  It  may  be  well  here  to  notice  a  usual  objection,  that 
Henry  VIII.  commenced  the  Reformation  and  separated  from 
Rome,  to  serve  his  own  licentious  passions.  But  has  this 
any  thing  to  do  with  the  question  ?  Does  not  God  often 
make  "  the  wrath  of  man  to  praise  Him  ?"  In  this  instance, 
we  behold  Him  bringing  good  out  of  evil,  raising  up  holy 
men  to  complete  in  purity  what  was  begun  in  passion,  and 
thus  even  the  vices  of  an  unholy  king  were  made  to  minister 
to  the  success  of  His  Church.  The  trutli  of  a  cause,  and  the 
personal  characters  of  its  promoters,  are  very  different  con- 
siderations. Some  of  the  Jewish  kings,  whom  God  employ- 
ed as  reformers,  to  restore  His  worship — Jehu,  for  example, 
(2  Kings  X.  29) — were  by  no  means  saints.  Constantino 
established  Christianity  in  the  Roman  Empire,  and  Napoleon 
restored  it  in  France.  Yet  who  cavils  at  either  of  tlicse 
great  changes,  on  account  of  the  want  of  personal  sanctity  in 
their  authors  .'' 

d  These  were,  in  the  main,  transcripts  of  the  Sacramen- 
tary  of  St.  Gregory  of  the  sixth  century,  and  of  course  free 
from  those  corruptions  of  the  Romish  Church  which  were 

— @ 


® ® 

204  HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY- 

tive  Oriental  forms  of  worship  examined,  and  from 
these  materials,  the  service  was  restored  to  its  origi- 
nal purity,  and  that  Ritual  composed  which  is  now 
our  Book  of  Common  Prayer.  More  than  120  years, 
however,  passed — from  the  year  1537,  in  the  reign  of 
Henry  VIII.,  to  the  year  1662,  in  the  reign  of 
Charles  II. — while  this  work  was  going  through  its 
successive  steps,  and  gradually  maturing  to  the  form  in 
which  we  now  have  it.  Twice  indeed  it  was  inter- 
rupted— once  by  the  reign  of  Queen  Mary,  who  of 
course  endeavored  to  restore  the  Roman  Ritual,  and 
again  by  the  rule  of  the  Puritans,  when  all  ancient 
forms  were  rejected,  as  the  remains  of  Popery — but 
during  the  remainder  of  this  period,  it  was  a  subject 
of  frequent  study  with  the  Prelates  of  the  English 
Church,  assisted  by  the  learned  of  the  land,  to  return 
to  a  purer  mode  of  worship. 

The  first  step  was  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.,  when 
a  committee,  appointed  for  that  purpose,  translated 
certain  portions  of  the  Service  into  English,  which 
were  published  under  the  title  of  "  The  Institution  of 

most  objectionable,  as  they  were  prior  to  the  adoption  of 
these  errors.  As  each  Bishop  had  the  power  of  altering  the 
particular  Liturgy  of  his  own  Church,  in  process  of  time  dif- 
ferent customs  arose,  and  several  became  so  established  as  to 
receive  the  names  of  their  respective  Churches.  Thus  grad- 
ually the  "Uses,"  or  "Customs"  of  York,  Sarum,  Here- 
ford, &c.,  came  to  be  distinguished  from  each  other.  (^Palm- 
er's Orig.  Lit.  V.  1,  p.  186.)  An  examination  of  these  Uses 
will  therefore  often  show  the  faith  of  the  English  Church  in 
the  seventh  century. 

® ® 


® ® 

HISTORY    OF    OUR    LITURGY.  205 

a  Christian  Man."  It  was  known  also  by  the  name 
of  "  The  Bishop's  Book."  Six  years  afterwards,  this 
was  revised  and  republished  under  the  title  of  "  A 
necessary  Doctrine  and  Erudition  for  any  Christian 
Man."  Again,  in  154.5,  the  King's  Primer  was  pub- 
lished.* 

e  These  works  have  all  been  reprinted  in  England  dur- 
ing the  last  few  years.  To  show  the  gradual  progress  of 
feeling  during  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.  we  will  give  the 
contents  of  these  three  Books. 

I.  The  Institution  of  a  Christian  Man. 
"This  book,  called  The  Institution  of  a  Christian   Man, 

containeth  four  special  parts,  whereof 

The  first  part  containeth  the  Exposition  of  the  Creed, 
called  the  Apostles'  Creed. 

The  second  part  containeth  the  Exposition  or  Declara- 
tion of  the  Seven  Sacraments,  viz.,  JMatrimony,  Baptism, 
Confirmation,  Penance,  Holy  Eucharist,  Orders,  Extreme 
Unction. 

The  third  part  containeth  the  Exposition  of  the  Ten 
Commandments. 

The  fourth  part  containeth  the  Exposition  of  the  Pater 
Noster  and  the  Ave,  with  the  Articles  of  Justification  and 
Purgatory." 

II.  A  Necessary  Doctrine  and  Erudition  for  any  Chris- 
tain  Man. 

The  Declaration  of  Faith. 

The  Articles  of  our  Belief,  called  the  Creed. 

The  Seven  Sacraments. 

The  Ten  Commandments  of  Almighty  God. 

Our  Lord's  Prayer,  called  the  Pater  Noster. 

Tiic  Salutation  of  the  Angel,  called  the  Ave  Maria. 

An  Article  of  Free  Will. 

10 

® ® 


(S) ® 

206         HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY. 

In  the  reign  of  Edward  VI.  when  the  ancient  cus- 
tom of  administering  the  Communion  in  both  kinds 
was  restored,  it  was  of  course  found  necessary  to 
have  a  Service  giving  the  true  view  of  this  Sacrament. 
The  King  therefore  appointed  "  certain  Bishops  and 
other  learned  Divines,  to  draw  an  office  in  English 
to  be  used  for  that  purpose ;  which  being  finished, 
was  called,  The  Communion."^  In  May,  1548,  the 
greatest  step  in  this  series  of  changes  was  taken.  The 
same  Bishops  and  Divines  were  again  selected  by  the 
King  "  to  draw  up  a  general  public  office  in  English, 
in  the  room  of  the  Latin  mass-book."  This  having 
been  done,  and  the  whole  Liturgy  with  its  public 
offices  having  been  compiled,  it  was  confirmed  by 
Parliament,  in  the  latter  end  of  the  same  year,  and  set 

An  Article  of  Justification. 

An  Article  of  Good  Works. 

Of  Prayer  for  souls  departed. 

III.     The  Primer,  set  forth  by  tlie  King's  Majesty,  and 
his  Clergy,  to  be  taught,  learned  and  read  ;  and  none  other 
to  be  used  throughout  all  his  dominions,  1545. 
The  Calendar  The  Compline. 

The  King's  Highness  Injunc-  The  Seven  Psalms. 

tion.  The  Litany. 

The  Prayer  of  our  Lord.  The  Dirge. 

The  Salutation  of  the  Angel.  The  Commendations. 
The    Creed,    or   Articles   of  The  Psalms  of  the  Passions. 

Faith.  The  Passion  of  our  Lord. 

TheTen  Commandments.        Certain  godly  prayers  for  sun- 
The  Matins.  dry  purposes. 

The  Even  Song. 

f  Strype's  Mem.  Ecclcs.  v.  ii.  part.  i.  p.  96. 

® ■ ® 


_ ® 

HISTORY    OP    OUR    LITURGY.  207 

forth  under  the  title  of,  "  The  Book  of  Common 
Prayer  and  Administration  of  the  Sacraments,  and 
otlier  Rites  and  Ceremonies  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land." Upon  this  Strype  remarks — "  The  rule  they 
went  by  in  this  work  was,  the  having  an  eye  and  re- 
spect unto  the  most  sincere  and  pure  Christian  re- 
ligion taught  by  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  also  to  the 

usage  of  the  Primitive  Church As  for  the 

work  itself,  as  it  is  said  to  be  done  by  one  uniform 
agreement,  so  also  '  by  the  aid  of  the  Holy  Ghost,' 
such  was  the  high  and  venerable  esteem  then  had  of 
it."°  A  few  slight  alterations  having  been  made  in 
1552,  together  with  some  useful  additions,  such  as 
the  Introductory  Sentences,  Exhortations,  Confession 
and  Absolution,  and  the  forms  for  ordination  of  Bishops, 
Priests,  and  Deacons,  it  was  again  confirmed  by  Par- 
liament, and  this  is  the  book  known  by  the  name  of 
"  The  Second  Book  of  Edward  VI." 

Under  Elizabeth  and  James  I.  Committees  were 
at  different  times  appointed  to  see  what  further  revi- 
sion of  the  Prayer  Book  was  expedient.  The  changes 
however  were  trifling,  generally  referring  merely  to 
the  form  of  expression,  except  the  insertion  of  some 
prayers  for  Thanksgiving,  and  a  few  (Questions  and 
Answers  in  the  Catechism. 

At  last,  in  the  reign  of  Charles  II.,  the  final  altera- 
tions were  made.     Some  of  the  Collects  were  re- 
modeled, the  Epistles  and  Gospels  were  taken  from 
King  James'  translation  of  the  Bible,  the  office  for 
g  Ibid.  p.  135. 


©- 


® ® 

208         HISTORY  OF  OUK  LITURGY. 

the  Baptism  of  adults,  together  with  a  few  prayers 
for  particular  occasions,  were  added,  and  thus  the 
Prayer  Book  was  finally  adopted  as  it  is  now  used  by 
the  Church  in  England. 

Thus  it  is  that  we  have  given  the  History  of  our 
Liturgy,  from  its  rise  in  Primitive  times,  down  to  its 
present  form  in  our  Mother  Church  abroad.  You 
perceive  therefore  that  it  is  no  modern  production, 
nor  is  it  a  set  of  forms  which  grew  up  amid  the  cor- 
ruptions of  the  Middle  Ages.''  It  is  a  Ritual  which, 
in  all  its  principal  features,  can  be  traced  back  to  the 
Apostolic  age.  And  so  close  is  this  resemblance, 
that  in  very  many  parts  it  extends  even  to  the  expres- 
sions and  the  words. 

h  Ingram,  in  bis  True  Character  of  the  Church  of  England, 
thus  shows  that  our  Prayer  Book  is  older  than  the  Roman 
Missal  now  used — "  Our  Common  Prayer  was  compiled  in 
1548,  received  a  revision  in  1552,  and  was  established  in  its 
present  form  in  1569.  Whereas  the  Roman  Missal  was  drawn 
up  by  certain  fathers  chosen  for  that  purpose  towards  the 
close  of  the  Council  of  Trent  in  1.562,  and  was  not  sanctioned 
and  promulgated  until  1.570  by  a  bull  of  Pope  Pius  V.  bear- 
ing date  the  12th  of  January  in  that  year.  It  is  therefore 
impossible  that  the  later  Roman  could  have  been  the  source 
whence  the  earlier  English  Ritual  was  derived.  The  Re- 
formed Church  of  England  might,  with  much  greater  appear- 
ance of  reason,  charge  the  Italian  Church  with  having  copied 
from  her  Liturgy  all  that  is  Scriptural  and  Primitive  in  the 
Roman  3Tass  Book.  But  the  fact  is,  both  Churches  had  one 
common  fountain  from  which  to  draw ;  namely.  Scripture 
and  Primitive  usage.  The  Church  of  Rome  chose  to  corrupt 
the  pure  waters  of  this  fountain." — p.  95. 

® 


® ® 

HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY.         209 

To  effect  this,  was  the  avowed  object  of  the  Eng- 
lish Reformers.  Unlike  those  on  the  Continent,  they 
made  no  attempt  to  found  a  new  Church,  nor  did  they 
desire  to  introduce  a  new  order  of  worship.  They 
knew  that  "  the  old  was  better,"  and  therefore  their 
work  was  simply  one  of  Restoration.  Thus,  in  the 
answer  of  the  Council  to  the  Princess  Mary,  after- 
wards Queen,  when  she  wished  Mass  performed  in 
her  house,  they  say — "  That  the  Christian  faith  pro- 
fessed is  the  same  in  substance  as  before  ....  that 
the  English  Reformation  had  recovered  the  worship  to 
the  directions  of  Scripture,  and  the  usage  of  the 
Primitive  Church.''''  And  Bishop  Collier  adds — 
"  That  part  of  the  letter  which  relates  to  religion,  was 
penned  in  all  likelihood  by  Cranmer  and  Ridley,  who 
were  then  of  the  Privy  Council."  When  again,  in  the 
reign  of  Queen  Mary,  Archbishop  Cranmer  drew  up 
"  A  Manifesto  in  Defence  of  the  Reformation,"  he 
has  the  same  appeal  to  antiquity.  He  says,  "  And 
with  the  Queen's  leave  he  offers  to  justify  the  Eng- 
lish Communion  Service,  both  from  the  authority  of 
the  Scriptures,  and  the  practice  of  the  Primitive 
Church.  And  on  the  other  side,  that  the  Mass  is  not 
only  without  foundation  in  both  these  respects,  but 
likewise  discovers  a  plain  contradiction  to  antiquity. 

He  will  maintain  the  Reformation  made  in 

the  late  reign,  with  respect  to  Doctrine,  Discipline, 
and  Worship,  to  be  more  orthodox  and  defensible, 

i  Collier's  Eccl.  Hist.  v.  ii.  p.  311. 

® ® 


®__ ® 

210         HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY. 

more  agreeable  to  the  true  standard,  and  Primitive 
plan,  than  the  belief  and  practice  of  the  Church  of 
Rome."^  In  the  same  way,  Queen  Elizabeth,  in  re- 
ply to  the  Roman  Catholic  Princes  on  the  Continent, 
who  desired  favor  to  be  shown  to  the  Romish  Bishops, 
gives  as  a  reason  why  they  should  conform  to  the 
Established  Church,  that  "  there  was  no  new  faith 
propagated  in  England  :  no  new  religion  set  up,  but 
that  which  was  commanded  by  our  Saviour,  practised 
hy  the  Primitive  Church,  and  approved  by  the  Fa- 
thers of  the  best  antiquity."'^  When  therefore  the 
Prayer  Book  was  published  in  its  present  form,  it  was 
recommended  to  the  Clergy  and  Laity  in  these  words — 
"  Here  you  have  an  order  of  Prayer,  and  for  the  read- 
ing of  Scripture,  much  agreeable  to  the  mind  and  pur- 
poses of  the  oldfathers.^'^  In  the  "  Act  of  Uniformity," 
the  Parliament  of  England  declared  that  thus  they 
received  it,  and  it  was  authorized  as  "  A  very  godly 
Book,  agreeable  to  the  word  of  God  and  the  Primitive 
Church,  very  comfortable  to  all  good  people,  desiring 
to  live  in  Christian  conversation.'"" 

We  have  thus  brought  before  you  the  History  of 
our  Liturgy,  through  all  ages,  from  Primitive  times 
until  it  assumed  its  present  form,  that  you  may  see 
how  much  it  retains  the  spirit  and  even  the  words 
derived  from  the  days  of  ancient  purity.     To  impress 

j  Ibid.  p.  347. 

k  Ibid.  p.  436. 

1  Preface  to  the  Prayer  Book. 

m  Collier's  Eccl.  Hist.  v.  ii.  p.  320. 

® ® 


® _ ® 

HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY.         211 

this  however  still  more — to  show  how  fully  we  have 
the  sanction  of  antiquity  for  our  manner  of  worship — 
we  will  briefly  take  up  the  principal  parts  of  our 
Ritual,  and  state  their  derivation. 

With  respect  to  the  Communion  Service,  we 
showed  in  the  last  Lecture,  when  referring  to  the 
four  Original  Liturgies,  how  entirely  our  form  for  the 
administration  of  this  solemn  Sacrament  is  taken 
from  them.  It  was  the  object  of  the  compilers  of  our 
Prayer  Book — says  Wheatley — "  out  of  them  all  to  ex- 
tract an  oflice  for  themselves ;  and  which  indeed  they 
performed  with  so  exact  a  judgment  and  happy  suc- 
cess, that  it  is  hard  to  determine,  whether  they  more 
endeavored  the  advancement  of  doctrine,  or  the  imi- 
tation of  pure  antiquity.""  For  example,  all  these 
ancient  Liturgies  have  a  prayer  answering  in  sub- 
stance to  ours,  "  For  the  whole  state  of  Christ's 
Church  Militant."  All  contain  that  portion  begin- 
ning, "  Lift  up  your  hearts,"  with  the  responses  which 
follow,  as  well  as  that  noble  anthem,  "  Therefore  with 
angels  and  archangels."  In  each  one  of  them  also 
we  find,  the  commemoration  of  our  Lord's  words — 
the  Breaking  of  Bread — the  Oblation — the  Prayer  of 
consecration — the  adminrstration  of  the  Elements — 
and  the  Lord's  Prayer. 

Other  parts  of  this  service,  although  not  taken 
from  these  four  Primitive  Liturgies,  are  still  of  great 
antiquity.     Thus,  the  Offertory  has  been  received  in 

n  On  Common  Prayer,  p.  274. 

® ■ ® 


®— ® 

212         HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY. 

the  English  Church  since  the  end  of  the  sixth  cen- 
tury. It  is  found  indeed  in  Rituals  of  that  period, 
although  it  may  have  been  used  long  before."  The 
Exhortation  also  has  its  parallel  in  the  ancient  Litur- 
gies. In  that  of  Antioch  particularly,  which  was  used 
for  a  great  length  of  time  by  the  Syrian  Monophosites, 
there  is  a  similar  address  from  the  deacon  to  the  peo- 
ple, which  in  its  position  in  the  service  corresponds 
with  our  Exhortation.  This,  if  not  of  greater  antiquity 
than  the  separation  of  the  orthodox  and  Monophosites 
in  A.  D.  451,  cannot  be  much  later  than  that  event.^ 
A  form  of  Confession  was  common  in  the  ancient 
Churches,  and  in  the  Liturgy  of  Jerusalem  it  occupies 
exactly  this  place  in  the  service.  There  is  also  ex- 
tant a  Sacramentary  of  the  time  of  Charlemagne, 
which  contains  one  in  substance  similar  to  our  own.** 
The  same  antiquity  may  be  claimed  for  the  Absolution, 
which  follows.  The  ThanTcsgiving  after  Coinmunion 
may  be  traced  in  several  early  Liturgies,  particularly 
that  of  Caesarea,  which  is  more  than  1500  years  old, 
that  of  Antioch,  and  the  Alexandrian  Liturgy  of  Basil.'' 
The  date  of  the  Gloria  in  Excelsis  has  never  been 
accurately  fixed.  By  some  it  has  been  ascribed  to 
Telesphorus,  Bishop  of  Rome,  A.  D.  150 ;  by  others 
to  Hilary,  Bishop  of  Poictiers  in  the  fourth  century. 
We  know  however  that  it  is  more  than  1500  years 
old  in  ihfr  Eastern  Church,  and  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land has  used  it  either  at  the  beginning  or  end  of  the 

o  Palmer's  Orig.  Lit.  v.  ii.  p.  73.  p  Ibid.  p.  100. 

■q  Ibid.  p.  lOG.  r  Ibid.  p.  156. 

(^ ® 


® _ ® 

HISTORY    OF    OUR    LITURGY.  213 

Liturgy  for  above  1200  years.'  The  Benediction  is 
found  in  some  form  in  all  ancient  services,  and  the 
one  with  which  our  service  concludes  is  a  judicious 
enlargement  of  that  which  was  used  in  the  English 
Church  before  the  year  GOO.' 

In  the  same  way,  did  our  limits  permit,  we  could 
go  through  the  Babtismal  Service,  and  point  out 
the  origin  of  its  different  parts.  Some  of  these — 
like  the  vows  of  renunciation  and  the  profession  of 
faith — are  of  primitive  antiquity,  while  the  remainder 
can  generally  be  found  in  the  ancient  Manuals  of 
Scdisbury  and  York,  or  in  manuscripts  which  were 
used  more  than  nine  hundred  years  ago." 

Let  us  turn  to  the  Psalter.  The  manner  of  read- 
ing or  singing  the  Psalms  responsively,  as  we  now 
do,  prevailed  in  very  ancient  times.  We  showed  in 
the  last  Lecture  that  thus  the  Song  of  Moses  was 
used,  after  the  passage  of  the  Red  Sea,  when  the 
people  sang,  "  and  Miriam  and  all  the  women  an- 
swered them."  In  this  way,  too,  we  know  that  many 
of  the  Psalms  of  David  were  chanted  forth  in  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Temple.  Such,  for  instance,  was  Psalm 
cxxxvi.,  where  the  first  part  of  each  verse  was  sung  by 
the  Lcvites,  while  the  chorus,  "  For  his  mercy  endur- 
eth  forever,"  was  the  response  of  the  people. 

From  them  the  early  followers  of  our  Lord  inherit- 
ed these  hymns  of  praise,  and  ever  since  the  times  of 
the  Apostles  the  recitation  of  Psalms  has  everywhere 

s  Ibid.  p.  159.  t  Ibid.  p.  161. 

u  Ibid.  p.  173. 

10* 

® (i) 


® _ ® 

214         HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY. 

formed  a  principal  part  of  the  service  of  the  Church." 
Thus  the  Roman  Governor,  Pliny,  A.  D.  110,  states 
that  the  Christians  "  met  on  a  certain  stated  day,  and 
sung  by  turns,  {invicem,)  a  hymn  to  Christ,  as  God."" 
St.  Jerome,  in  describing  the  devotions  of  Christians 
in  Egypt,  says,  "  then  the  Psalms  are  sung,  and  the 
Scriptures  are  read  ;"  and  thus  Cassian  represents  it, 
that  the  Psalms  were  used  before  the  lessons."  In 
the  same  way,  St.  Basil  tells  us,  this  part  of  the  ser- 

V  Thus  St.  Chrysostom  says — "  Christians  exercise  them- 
selves in  David's  Psahns  oftener  than  in  any  part  of  the  Old 
or  New  Testament.  Moses,  the  great  lawgiver,  who  saw 
God  face  to  face,  and  wrote  of  the  creation  of  the  world,  is 
scarcely  read  through  once  a  year.  The  Holy  Gospels, 
where  Christ's  miracles  are  preached,  where  God  converses 
with  man,  where  devils  are  cast  out,  lepers  are  cleansed,  and 
the  blind  restored  to  sight,  where  death  is  destroyed,  where  is 
the  food  of  immortality,  the  Holy  Sacraments,  the  words  of  life, 
holy  precepts,  precious  promises  ;  these  we  read  over  once 
or  twice  a  week.  What  shall  I  say  of  blessed  Paul,  the 
preacher  of  Christ  ?  His  Epistles  we  read  twice  in  the 
week.  We  get  them  not  by  heart,  but  attend  to  them  while 
they  are  reading.  But  as  to  David's  Psalms,  the  grace  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  has  so  ordered  it,  that  they  are  repeated  night 
and  day.  In  the  vigils  of  the  Church,  the  first,  the  midst, 
the  last,  are  David's  Psalms.  In  the  morning,  David's 
Psalms  are  sought  for,  and  the  first,  the  midst,  and  the  last, 
is  David.  At  funeral  solemnities,  tlie  first,  the  midst,  and 
the  last,  is  David.  In  private  houses,  the  first,  the  midst, 
and  the  last,  is  David.  Many  that  know  not  a  letter,  can 
say  David's  Psalms  by  heart."     Horn.  vi.  de  Pocn. 

w  Pliny,  Ep^  97. 

X  Bingham  Orig.  Eccles.  lib.  xiv.  c.  1.  sect.  1. 

(5) ® 


® ® 

HISTORY    OF    OUR    LITURGY.  215 

vice  was  performed  in  his  day,  alternately.  "  After 
the  confession,  the  people  rise  from  prayer,  and  pro- 
ceed to  Psalmody,  dividing  themselves  into  two  parts, 
and  singing  by  turns. "^ 

The  Psalms,  too,  were  always  read  or  sung,  as 
now  among  us,  standing.  Thus  Cassian,  speaking 
of  the  Egyptian  Christians,  says,  that  when  "by  rea- 
son of  their  continual  fastings  and  labor  day  and 
night,  they  were  unable  to  stand  all  the  time,  while 

twelve  Psalms  were  reading yet  at  the  last 

Psalm  they  all  stood  up,  and  repeated  it  alternately, 
adding  the  Gloria  Patri  at  the  end."  And  we  have 
also  the  testimony  of  St.  Augustine,  who  spefiks  of 
Psalmody  as  an  act  of  devotion,  which  all  the  people 
performed  standing  in  the  Church.'  Cassian,  it  will 
be  remarked,  in  the  above  quotation,  refers  to  the 
Gloria  Patri  being  added  to  the  last  Psalm.  Such 
was  the  custom  of  the  Eastern  Church.  In  the 
Western  Church,  the  practice  was  different,  and  it 
was  used  at  the  end  of  every  Psalm." 

Such  is  also  the  antiquity  of  our  rule  of  reading 
Lessons  from  Scripture  in  each  service.  It  was  de- 
rived from  the  Jewish  Church,  where  the  law  was 
divided  into  sections,  one  of  which  was  read  on  every 
Sabbath  day,  so  that  the  whole  was  completed  in  a 
year ;  and  on  each  of  these  occasions  some  portion  of 


y  Wheatley  on  Common  Prayer,  p.  134. 
z  Bingiiani,  lib.  xiv.  c.  1.  sect  14. 
a  Ibid,  sect  8. 

^ _@ 


® (S) 

216         HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY. 

the  prophets  was  added  also.''  To  this  St.  James  re- 
ferred when  lie  said,  "  Moses  was  read  in  the  Syna- 
gogue every  Sabbath  day,"  (Acts  xv.  21,)  and  in  the 
thirteenth  chapter  mention  is  made  of  the  same  cus- 
tom, where  we  are  told  that  St.  Paul  addressed  the 
people  in  the  synagogue,  "  after  the  reading  of  the 
law  and  the  prophets."  (v.  15.) 

The  Christian  Church,  therefore,  naturally  con- 
tinued this  admirable  rule,  by  which  week  after  week 
her  members  are  systematically  instructed  in  the 
word  of  God.  Thus,  Justin  Martyr  in  the  second 
century  says,  "  It  was  the  custom  in  his  time  to  read 
lessons  out  of  the  Prophets  and  Apostles  in  the  As- 
sembly of  the  faithful.""  And  Cassian  tells  us — "  It 
was  the  constant  custom  of  all  Christians  throughout 
Egypt,  to  have  two  lessons,  one  out  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament, and  another  out  of  the  New,  read  immediately 
after  the  Psalms ;  a  practice  so  ancient,  that  it  cannot 
be  known  whether  it  was  founded  upon  any  human 
institution. "'^  Tertullian,  at  the  end  of  the  second 
century,  speaks  of  the  reading  of  Scriptures  in  the 
Church,  and  in  one  place  especially,  he  tells  us  that 
the  law  and  the  prophets  were  read  in  Africa  before 
the  Epistles  and  Gospels.^  The  early  fathers,  in  their 
sermons  which  have  come  down  to  us,   frequently 

b  Home's  Introd.  to  Scrip,  v.  iii.  p.  244,  where  the  read- 
er will  find  a  table  of  the  different  sections  from  the  haw  and 
the  Prophets,  as  used  by  the  Jews  throughout  the  year. 

c  Apol.i.  cap.  87.  d  Wheatley,  p.  141. 

e  Tertull.  de  Pra^script,  c.  36. 

® ■ ■ ® 


I g) 

HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY.         217 

allude  to  the  lessons  for  the  day.  Thus  St.  Basil,  in 
one  of  his  Homilies  on  Baptism,  takes  notice  of  three 
of  the  lessons  that  were  read  that  day,  besides  the 
Psalms,  one  of  which  was  from  Isaiah,  another  from 
Acts,  and  a  third  from  Matthew.*^  St.  Augustine  in 
like  manner  refers  to  four  lessons  which  had  been 
read  on  a  particular  occasion,  one  out  of  Moses,  an- 
other out  of  Isaiah,  a  third  out  of  the  Gospel,  and  the 
last  out  of  the  Epistles  ?'  There  were  also  proper 
Lessons  selected  for  the  different  seasons  of  the  Ec- 
clesiastical year  ;  as  during  the  Festival  of  Easter, 
for  four  days  successively  the  History  of  Christ's  Res- 
urrection was  read  out  of  the  four  Gospels,  and  on  the 
day  of  His  Passion  they  read  the  narrative  of  His  suf- 
ferings as  related  by  St.  Matthew.''  You  perceive, 
then,  the  great  antiquity  of  this  portion  of  the  service, 
and  how  faithfully  in  this  respect  we  follow  the  ex- 
ample of  the  early  Church. 

The  Litany  next  claims  our  attention.  We  can 
trace  this  kind  of  prayer  back  to  the  third  century,  in 
the  Eastern  Churches.  It  was  introduced  into  the 
Western  Church  during  the  fifth  century.  The  peti- 
tions in  our  Litany  are  of  very  gre^t  antiquity  in  the 
English  Church.  "  Mabillon  has  printed  a  Litany 
of  the  Church  of  England,  written  probably  in  the 
eighth  century,  which  contains  a  large  portion  of  that 
which  we  repeat  at  the  present  day,  and  which  pre- 

f  Bingham,  lib.  xiv.  cliap.  3,  sect.  2. 
g  Ibid.  h  Ibid.  sect.  3 

i  Palmer's  Orig.  Lit.  v.  i.  p.  287. 

®- ® 


® ___ —       ® 

218         HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY. 

serves  exactly  the  same  form  of  petition  and  response 
which  is  still  retained.  The  still  more  ancient  Lita- 
nies of  the  Abbey  of  Fulda,  of  the  Ambrosian  Missal, 
and  of  Gelasius,  Patriarch  of  Rome,  together  with 
the  Diaconica  or  Irenica  of  the  Liturgies  and  Offices 
of  the  Churches  of  Constantinople,  Csesarea,  Antioch, 
Jerusalem,  &c.,  which  all  preserve  the  form  of  the 
Litany  ;  all  these  ancient  formularies  contgiin  very 
much  the  same  petitions  as  the  English  Litany,"' 

Look  now  at  the  Collects  for  each  day.  The 
origin  of  this  word  is  doubtful,  so  great  is  the  antiquity 
of  its  use.  By  some  Ritualists,  these  prayers  are  said 
to  derive  their  name  from  the  priest,  thus,  as  it  were, 
collecting  the  devotions  of  the  people,  and  offering 
them  at  once.'  By  others,  it  is  asserted  they  took 
their  rise  from  the  collecting  of  the  people,  as  was 
usual  in  the  early  times  of  Christianity,  on  fast  days, 
and  especially  during  a  season  of  public  calamity,  for 
devotion  in  one  of  the  Churches.  When  the  clergy 
and  the  people  had  assembled  at  the  place  appointed, 
the  Bishop,  or  the  Priest  who  was  to  officiate,  recited 
over  the  collected  multitude  a  short  prayer,  which, 
from  the  circumstance,  was  denominated  the  Collect 
or  gathering  prayer.''  We  have  Cassian's  testimony 
that  in  his  time — that  is,  in  the  fourth  century — Col- 
lects were  recited  amongst  the  Psalms  and  lessons  of 
morning  and  evening  prayer,  by  the  Egyptians  ;  and 
Athanasius,  in  several  places,  alludes  to  the  existence 

j  Bingham's  Orig.  Eccles.  lib.  xix.  ch.  1.  sect.  4 
k  Rock's  Hierurgia,  vol.  i.  p.  91. 

® 


® 


-® 


HISTORY    OF    OUR    LITURGV. 


219 


of  the  same  practice  in  his  time.'  It  has  been  thought 
by  some  writers  on  this  subject,  tliat  the  Collects 
were  framed  by  St.  Jerome.'"  They  were  certainly 
arranged  by  Gelasius,  Patriarch  of  Rome,  in  A.  D. 
494,  and  afterwards  by  Gregory  the  Great,  A.  D.  590, 
in  whose  Sacramentary  many  of  them  are  now  found. 
As  he  however  only  collected  them,  they  are  much 
older  than  his  day.  Yet  it  will  be  perceived,  that 
even  this  revision  of  them  dates  back  more  than  1200 
years." 

1  Palmer's  Orig.  Lit.  v.  i.  p.  310. 

m  Wheatley,  p.  212. 

n  As  it  may  interesting  to  Churchmen  to  see  the  date  of 
each  Collect,  and  the  changes  tlirough  which  it  has  passed, 
we  have  copied  tlie  following  tables  from  Shepherd's  Eluci- 
dation of  the  Prayer  of  the  Church  of  England,  p.  301-5. 

PART   I. 

Consisting  of  such  Collects  as  were  retained  from  ancient 
Liturgies  at  the  Reformation. 


Collects  for 

4  Sunday  in  Advent. 

St.  John's  day. 

Tlie  Epipliany. 

1,  2,  and  3  Sun.  after  Epipii. 

5  Epiphany. 

Septuagesima. 
Sexagesima. 

2,  3,  4,  G  Sunday  in  Lent. 

6  Sunday  in  Lent. 


Whence  taken. 
In   some  old  offices   for   the 

first  Sunday  in  Advent. 
St.   Greg.   Sacr.   and  Gothic 

Liturg. 
St.  Greg.  Sacr. 
The  same,  and  St.  Ambros. 

Liturg. 
St.  Greg.  Sacr. 
The  same. 
Tlie  same. 
The  same. 
Tlie  same  ;  but  in  St.  Ambros. 

Liturg.  for  Good  Friday. 


®- 


-® 


® 


® 


220 


HISTORY    OF    OUR    LITURGY. 


Let  US  now  examine  the  selection  of  the  Epistle 
and  Gospel  for  each  day,  which  follow  these  collects. 


Good  Friday,  the  three  Col- 
lects. 


Easter  Day. 


3  Sunday  after  Easter, 

5  Sunday  after  Easter. 

Ascension  Day. 

Whitsunday. 

1  Sunday  after  Trinity. 


The  3,  4,  5,  6,  7,  8,  9,  in,  12, 
13,  14,  15,  16,  17,  20,  21, 
22,  23,  24,  and  25,  after 
Trinity. 

The  Purification. 

St.  Michael's  Day. 


They  arc  in  all  offices  with 
little  variation  ;  but  they 
are  left  out  of  the  Brevia- 
ries of  Pius  V.  and  Clem. 
VIII. 

St.  Greg.  Sacr.  and  a  Collect 
almost  the  same  in  the 
Gallic  Liturgy. 

St.  Greg.  Sacr.  St.  Ambros. 
Liturg. 

St.  Greg.  Sacr. 

The  same. 

The  same. 

The  same.  This,  in  some  old 
Offices,  is  called  the  second 
after  Pentecost;  in  others, 
the  first  after  the  octaves  of 
Pentecost. 

Are  all  in  St.  Greg  Sacr. 


The  same. 
The  same. 


The  reader  will  observe,  that  the  greater  part  of  this 
class  of  Collects,  is  found  in  Gregory's  Sacramentary,  which 
was  composed  before  the  year  600.  All  of  these,  therefore, 
are  at  least  1200  years  old,  and  many  of  them  are  much  older. 
For  Gregory  did  not  originally  form  the  offices.  He  only 
collected  and  improved  them.  To  waive  all  other  proof  of 
this,  we  have  his  own  testimony,  given  in  vindication  of  his 
conduct.  '  I  have  followed,'  says  he,  '  a  practice  common 
in  the  Greek  Church,  and  have  altered  some  old  Collects, 


®- 


® 


® 

HISTORY    OF    OUR    LITURGY.  221 

"  It  is  certain" — says  Wlieatly — *'  that  they  were  very 
anciently  appropriated  to  the  days  whereon  we  now 

and  added  some  new  and  useful  ones.'  But  the  generality 
of  tbc  Collects  in  his  Sacramentary  he  compiled  from  Litur- 
gies which  in  his  time  were  esteemed  ancient. 

PART   II. 

Consisting  of  Collects  taken  from  ancient  models,  hut  con- 
siderably altered  ajid  improved  by  our  Reformers,  and  the 
Ilcviciccrs  of  the  Liturgy. 

Collects  for  Time  of  Improvement.  How  it  stood  before. 

St.      Stephen's  Beginning  add.  Grant  us,  O  Lord,  to  learn 

Day.  1662.  to  love  our  enemies,  «&c. 

4  Sunday  after  End    improved  Grant  to  us  the   health  of 

Epiph.  1662.  body  and  soul,  that  all 

those  things  which   we 
sufler  for  sin,  &c. 
4  Sunday  after  Improved  1662.  Who  makest  the  minds  of 
Easter.  all  faithful  people  to  be 

of  one  will,  &c. 
Sunday       after  A  little   varied  This  had  been  of  old  the 
Ascension.  1549.  Collect     for     Ascension 

Day,  on  which  our  ven- 
erable Bede  repeated  it, 
as  he  was  dying. 
2  Sunday    after  The   order    in-  Lord,  make   us  to  have  a 
Trin.  verted  1662.         perpetual  fear  and  love 

of  Thy  holy  name,  for 
thou  never  failest,  «&;c. 
8  Sunday    after  Beginning    im-  Whose  providence  is  never 

Trin.  proved  1662.        deceived,  &c. 

11  Sunday  after  Improved  1662.  That   we,   running  to    thy 
Trin.  promises,  may  be  made 

partakers  of  thy  heaven- 
ly treasures,  &c. 

®- ® 


® ~ -^ — — ® 

222  HISTORY    OF    OUR    LITURGY. 

read  them  ;  since  they  were  not  only  of  general  use 
throughout  the  whole  Western  Church,  but  are  also 

18  Sunday  after  Improved  1662.  To  avoid  the  infections  of 
Trin.  the  devil,  &c. 

19  Sunday  after  Improved  1662.  That  the  working  of  thy 
Trin.  mercy  may  in  all  things, 

«fcc. 

St.  Paul's  Da)^  Improved  1.559  In  the  Breviaries  a  new 
and  1662.  prayer  was  added,  men- 

tioning St.  Paul's  inter- 
cession ;  in  the  year  1549 
the  old  prayer  alone 
out  of  Greg.  Sacr.  was 
restored,  which  had  our 
walking  after  his  exam- 
ple only,  which  was  a 
little  varied  in  the  year 
1662. 

The  Annuncia-  Improved  1549.  The  Breviaries  had  put  in 
ton.  a  new  prayer  about  the 

B.  Virgin's  intercession, 
which  was  cast  out  in 
1549,  and  the  form  in  St. 
Greg.  Sacr.  restored. 

St.  Philip  and  Improved  1662.  As  thou  hast  taught  St. 
James.  Philip    and     the     other 

Apostles,  «&c. 

St.  Bartholo-  Improved  1662.  To  preach  that  which  he 
mew.  taught,  &c.,  was  altered, 

because  there  is  no  writ- 
ing of  his  extant. 

TrinitySunday.  This    Collect   is   no   older 

than  the  Sacramentary 
ascribed  to  Alcuinus. 
The     old    Ollices    have 

® ® 


® 


cs> 


HISTORY    OF    OUR    LITURGY. 


223 


commented  upon  in  the  Homilies  of  several  ancient 
Fathers,  which  are  said  to  have  been  preached  upon 
those  very  days  to  which  these  portions  of  Scripture 
are  now  affixed.     So  that  they  have  most  of  them  be- 


anothcr  Collect  for  it, 
and  call  it  the  Octave 
of  Pentecost. 

PART    III. 

Consisting  of  such  Collects  as  are  composed  anew,  and  substi- 
tuted in  the  jjlacc  of  those  ichick,  containing  either  false  or 
superstitious  doctrines,  zcere  on  this  account  rejected. 


Collects  for 

1  Sunday  in  Advent. 

2  Sunday  in  Advent. 

3  Sunday  in  Advent. 
Christmas  Day. 
Circumcision. 

6  Sunday  after  Epiphany. 


Q,uinquagesinia. 
Ash  Wednesday. 
1  Sunday  in  Lent. 
Easter  Even. 

Easter  Sunday. 

1  Sunday  after  Easter. 


2  Sunday  after  Easter. 
St.  Andrew's  Day. 


Composed  in 
First  Book  of  Edward  VI.,  549. 
The  same  time. 
1662. 
1549. 

Tlic  same  time. 
1662.      Before  this   time   they 

repeated  the  collect  for  the 

fifth  Sunday. 
1549. 

The  same  time. 
The  same  time. 
1662.      No   collect  for  it    ever 

before  then. 
The  first  sentence  (1  Cor.  v.  7) 

was  added  1662. 
1549.     Then   it   was   used    on 

Easter  Tuesday,  and  in  1662 

was  fixed  for  this  Sunday. 
1549. 
1552.    Second  Book  of  Edward 

VI. 


®- 


■® 


® ___— ® 

224         HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY. 

longed  to  the  same  Sundays  and  Holy  Days  we  now 
use  them  on,  for  above  1200  years."" 

We  are  told  by  Mr.  Palmer  that,  in  the  early  ages 
of  the  Church,  the  Epistle  was  generally  called  "  the 
Apostle."  In  this  way  St.  Augustine  often  speaks  of 
it,  and  in  the  Sacramentary  of  Gregory  the  Great,  it 
is  said,  "  the  Apostle  follows,"  meaning  the  Epistle 
of  the  Apostle  is  then  read.  Almost  all  the  lessons 
now  read  as  Epistles,  have  been  used  in  the  Church 
of  England  for  many  ages.  They  appear  in  English 
Liturgies  before  the  invasion  of  William  the  Con- 
queror. We  know,  indeed,  that  they  are  generally 
as  old  as  the  time  of  Augustine,  A.  D.  595.  In  his 
day  a  Psalm  was  sung  between  the  Epistle  and 
Gospel.  Thus,  in  one  sermon  he  says — "  We  have 
heard  the  Apostle,  we  have  heard  the  Psalm,  we  have 
heard  the  Gospel;  all  the  divine  lessons  agree."  In 
another  sermon  he  says — "  We  have  heard  the  first 
lesson  from  the  Apostle,  ....  then  we  have  sung  a 

St.  Thomas'  Day. 

St.  Matthias. 

St.  Mark. 

St.  Barnabas. 

St.  John  Baptist. 

St.  Peter.  )■  All  composed  anew  in  1540. 

St.  James. 

St.  Matthew. 

St.  Luke. 

St.  Simon  and  St.  Jude. 

All  Saints. 

o   On  Common  Prayer,  p.  213. 

®— — ■ — — ® 


® ® 

HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY.  225 

Psalm,  .  .  .  after  this,  came  the  lesson  fromtke  Gos- 
pel ;  these  three  lessons  we  will  discourse  upon,  as  far 
as  time  permits."^  There  is  a  curious  thought  in  Al- 
cuin — an  English  writer,  who  lived  about  A.  D.  780 — 
that  this  arrangement  of  the  Church  is  "  not  without 
a  spiritual  meaning.  For  in  causing  the  writings  of 
God's  envoys  to  be  recited  previous  to  the  lecture  of 
the  Gospel,  the  Church  appears  to  imitate  the  example 
of  Jesus  Christ,  who  deputed  some  among  his  dis- 
ciples to  go  before  Ilim  into  those  quarters  which  he 
was  about  to  honor  with  a  visit.'"^ 

You  perceive  in  these  quotations  the  reference 
made  to  the  Gospel  also.  Even  in  the  manner  in 
which  it  is  read,  our  Church  continues  to  follow  the 
example  of  the  early  ages.  It  was  a  general  custom 
for  all  the  people  to  stand  up,  and  when  it  was  an- 
nounced, they  uttered  the  ascription  of  praise — 
"  Glory  be  to  Thee,  O  Lord."  Thus,  the  author  of 
an  ancient  Homily,  sometimes  ascribed  to  St.  Chrysos- 
tom,  asserts — "  When  the  Deacon  goes  about  to  read 
the  Gospel,  we  all  presently  rise  up,  and  say,  '  Glory 
be  to  Thee,  O  Lord.' '"  We  know,  indeed,  that  this 
custom  of  rising  is  certainly  as  old  as  the  days  of  St. 
Chrysostom  ;  for  he  speaks  of  it  in  one  of  his  Homilies 
on  St.  Matthew — "  If  the  letters  of  a  king  are  read 
in  the  theatre  with  great  silence,  much  more  ought 

p    Orig.  Lit.  V.  ii.  p.  42—7. 

q   Alcuinus  de  Divin.  Offic.  (quoted  in  Rock's  Hicrurgia, 
v.  i.p.  95.) 

r   Bing.  Orig.  Ecclcs.  lib.  xiv.  ch.  3,  sect.  10. 

® ■ — —I 


® ® 

226         HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY. 

we  to  compose  ourselves,  and  stand  up  with  attentive 
ears,  when  the  letters,  not  of  an  earthly  king,  but  of 
the  Lord  of  angels  are  read  to  us."^  In  the  same 
way  the  Author  of  the  Constitutions,  says — "  When 
the  Gospel  is  read,  let  the  Presbyters  and  Deacons, 
and  all  the  people  stand  with  profound  silence.'" 

These,  then,  are  the  principal  parts  of  our  Service, 
and  you  perceive  not  only  their  great  antiquity,  but 
also  how  carefully  the  Church  now  adheres  to  the 
rites  and  customs  of  early  days.  From  the  manner 
in  which  our  Liturgy  was  arranged  by  the  English 
reformers,  you  can  see  the  object  they  had  in  view  in 
the  great  work  to  which  they  were  called,  and  the 
spirit  in  which  it  was  accomplished.  They  wished, 
simply  to  purify  their  Church  and  Ritual  from  the  cor- 
ruptions of  the  Middle  Ages,  and  to  have  them  both 
conformed  in  every  respect  to  the  pattern  of  primitive 
times.  In  this  respect  they  differed  widely  from  those 
on  the  Continent.  There,  antiquity  was  disregarded 
— the  Church,  with  her  ministry  and  Ritual,  entirely 
abandoned — and  instead  of  a  Reformation,  the  result 
was  a  Revolution.''     Casaubon,  therefore,  paid  but  a 

s      Horn.  i.  in  Matt.  t   Constit.  lib.  ii.  cap.  57. 

11  "  Thus,  when  the  infatuate  Council,  named  of  Trent, 

Clogg'd  up  the  Catholic  course  of  the  true  Faith, 

Troubling  the  stream  of  pure  antiquity, 

And  the  wide  channel  in  its  bosom  took 

Crude  novelties,  scarce  known  as  that  of  old  ; 

Then  many  a  schism  overleaped  the  banks, 

Gencvese,  Lutheran,  Scotch  diversities. 

Our  Church,  though  straiten'dsore  'tween  craggy  walls, 

® ' ® 


® ® 

HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY,         227 

merited  tribute  to  our  Church,  when  he  wrote — "  Si 
me  conjectura  non  fallit,  totius  reformationis  pars  in- 
tegerrima  est  in  Anglia :  ubi,  cum  studio  veritatis, 
viget  studium  antiquitatis." 

It  remains  to  say  but  a  few  words  with  regard  to 
the  difference  between  the  Prayer  Book  as  used  in 
Enghmd  and  in  this  country.  At  the  close  of  that 
revolution  which  politically  separated  us  from  Eng- 
land, the  Church  also  in  this  land  was,  of  course, 
severed  from  that  to  which  she  had  been  "  indebted, 
under  God,  for  her  first  foundation,  and  a  long  con- 
tinuance of  nursing  care  and  protection.'"  When, 
therefore,  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  assisted  by 
other  English  prelates,  had  consecrated  three  Bishops 
for  this  country,  that  we  might  have  the  Apostolical 
succession    among  ourselves,"   it  became  necessary 

Kept  her  true  course,  unchanging  and  the  same  ; 
Known  by  that  ancient  clearness,  pure  and  free, 
With  which  she  sprung  from  'neatli  tlie  throne  of  God." 
Thoughts  on  Past  Years,  p.  274. 
V    Preface  to  the  Prayer  Book. 

w  The  Right  Rev.  Wm.  White,  D.D.,  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  the  RightRev.  Sam.  Provost,  D.D.,  of  New  York,  conse- 
crated in  the  Chapel  of  the  Archiepiscopal  Palace  at  Lambeth, 
in  England,  on  Sunday,  Feb.  4tli,  1787,  by  the  Most  Rev.  John 
Moore,  Archbisliop  of  Canterbury,  assisted  by  the  Archbishop 
of  York,  and  the  Bishops  of  Bath  and  Wells,  and  Peter- 
borough. The  Right  Rev.  James  Madison,  D.D.,  of  Virginia, 
consecrated  in  the  same  place,  on  Sunday,  Sept.  19th,  1790, 
by  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  assisted  by  the  Bishops  of 
London  and  Rochester. 
^  The  Right  Rev.  Samuel  Seabury,  D.D.,  of  Connecticut, 

® — ® 


® @ 

228         HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY. 

also  to  make  some  trifling  alterations  in  the  Prayer 
Book,  to  adapt  it  to  the  circumstances  of  the  Church. 
These  changes  were  made,  and  these  only ;  for,  as  it 
is  expressed  in  the  Preface  to  that  volume — "  This 
Church  is  far  from  intending  to  depart  from  the 
Church  in  England  in  any  essential  point  of  doctrine, 
discipline,  or  worship,  or  further  than  local  circum- 
stances require."  Our  early  Bishops,  looking  to  the 
Church  from  which  their  own  derived  her  existence, 
wished  that  every  one  should  trace  the  Mother's  linea- 
ments in  the  features  of  the  child.  Thus,  then,  the 
Prayer  Book  was  finally  arranged,  and  so  we  trust  it 
will  remain  through  all  ages  of  our  Church  here,  until 
her  earthly  warfare  is  accomplished,  and  this  service 
gives  place  to  the  anthems  of  Heaven. 

And  now,  in  conclusion,  let  me  ask — have  we  not 
reason  to  bless  God  for  this  "  form  of  sound  words," 
which  has  thus  come  down  to  us  from  a  distant  anti- 
quity ?  May  we  not  say  of  the  Church — "  Her 
clothing  is  of  wrought  gold  V  Our  Ritual  contains 
not  the  sentiments  or  thoughts  of  any  one  man — or 
even  any  one  generation  of  men — but  embodies  the 
spirit  and  the  devotion  of  Universal  Catholic  Christen- 
dom, in  its  earliest,  purest  day.  It  is  tinged  with  no 
party  views.  It  is  not  intended  to  speak  the  language 
of  any  one  small  section  of  believers,  but  it  seeks  to 
bring  us  before  the  throne  of  God  in  the  same  spirit 

had  been  previously  consecrated  in  Aberdeen,  Scotland,  Nov. 
14th,  1784,  by  tlie  Bishop  of  Aberdeen,  with  his  coadjutor, 
and  the  Bishop  of  Ross  and  3Ioray,  assisting. 

® ® 


® ® 

HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY.         229 

with  which  His  children  were  accustomed  to  approach 
Him,  when  warring  sects  were  unknown,  and  but  one 
united  Church  was  spread  everywhere  over  the  earth. 
Oh,  are  there  not,  then,  solemn  recollections  and 
glorious  memories  connected  with  the  Liturgy  by 
which  now  we  worship  ?  Is  it  not  something,  to 
realize  that  in  our  devotions  we  are  not  dependent  on 
the  feelings  of  a  mortal  like  ourselves,  for  the  direc- 
tion which  our  thoughts  shall  take,  but  that  the  prayers 
we  utter  bear  the  stamp  and  breathe  the  spirit  of 
Apostolic  days  ?  Does  not  this  Ritual  come  to  us 
with  new  power  when  we  think,  that  age  after  age  its 
solemn,  elevating  voice  has  been  heard  in  the  Church 
— that  it  is  now  what  it  was,  when  Christianity  itself, 
in  the  dawn  of  early  youth,  was  contending  even  for 
existence  with  a  Pagan  world  ?  Yes — when  I  stand 
at  this  altar,  to  minister  in  that  holy  rite  by  which 
with  bread  and  wine  we  commerriorate  our  Lord's 
death,  I  remember  that  seventeen  centuries  ago  these 
emblems  were  consecrated,  with  almost  the  same 
words,  in  the  distant  East  where  our  faith  had  its 
birth,  and  through  Northern  Africa,  where  once 
hundreds  of  Bishops  sat  in  the  councils  of  the  Church. 
There  also  that  noble  ascription — "  Therefore  with 
angels  and  archangels,  and  with  all  the  company  of 
Heaven,  we  laud  and  magnify  thy  glorious  name" — 
was  uplifted  in  many  a  strange  tongue,  as  men  thus 
professed  their  faith  even  at  the  peril  of  their  lives. 
And  now  it  has  descended  to  us,  as  a  chain  which 
binds  us  to   them   in   holy   fellowship.     The   same 

11 

®^ ® 


® _ g) 

230  HISTORY  OF  OUR  LITURGY. 

anthems  which  you  sing,  have  been  sounded  forth 
from  ancient  confessors  and  martyrs,  as  they  went 
joyfully  to  the  stake,  and  been  the  last  accents  heard 
from  their  lips  as  the  flames  gathered  around  them/ 
Countless  generations  of  the  saints — the  dead  who 
slept  in  Christ  a  thousand  years  ago — have  worshipped 
in  the  very  prayers  which  now  you  use,  and  had  their 
souls  thus  trained  up  for  Heaven. 

Therefore  it  is,  that  as  each  age  passed  by,  this 
Ritual  has  gone  down  with  a  richer  freight  of  hallowed 
associations  and  blessings  to  the  generation  which 
succeeded,  until  we  in  our  turn  have  inherited  it. 
We  wish,  therefore,  nothing  better.  We  are  willing 
to  tread  in  the  footsteps  of  the  holy  dead  who  have 
gone  before  us.  We  will  worship  in  their  words,  and 
trust  that  at  the  end  we  shall  share  in  their  reward. 
We  will  feel,  too,  that  the  noblest  legacy  we  can  leave 
to  those  who  shall  come  after  us,  is  this  form  of  sound 
words — so  full — so  complete,  that  we  may  well  say 
in  the  words  of  Dr.  South — "  There  is  no  prayer  ne- 
cessary, that  is  not  in  the  Liturgy,  but  one  ;  which  is 
this :  that  God  would  vouchsafe  to  continue  the 
Liturgy  itself,  in  use  and  honor,  and  veneration,  in 
this  Church  forever." 

X  "  Their  bodies  were  quickly  wrapped  in  flame  ;  they 
shouted  Te  Dcum  laudamus.  Soon  their  voices  were  stifled 
—  and  their  aslies  alone  remained."  Death  of  Esch  and  Voes, 
the  first  martxjrs  of  the  Reformation^  at  Brussels,  1525. 

The  venerable  Bede,  as  he  was  dying,  repeated  the 
Collect  for  the  day,  which  was  the  Festival  of  our  Lord's 
Ascension.     Malms.  \.  i.  c.'i. 

® ® 


® — -® 


THE  CHURCH'S  VIEW  OF  INFANT  BAPTISM. 


Blest  be  the  Church,  that  watching  o'er  the  needs 
Of  infancy,  provides  a  timely  shower. 
Whose  virtue  changes  to  a  Christian  Flower 
A  giowth  from  sinful  nature's  bed  of  weeds  ! — 
FitUest  beneath  the  sacred  roof  proceeds 
The  ministration ;  while  parental  Love 
Looks  on,  and  grace  descendeth  from  above. 
As  the  high  service  pledges  now,  now  pleads. 

JVordsworth^s  Ecclesiastical  Sonnets,  XV. 


® — ® 


® 


■  ® 


VI. 


THE  CHURCH'S  VIEW  OE  INEANT  BAPTISM. 


Human  language  could  not  frame  a  question  which 
would  appeal  with  greater  force  to  the  parents'  heart, 
than  that  simple  inquiry  which  Elisha  addressed  to 
the  woman  of  Shunem — "  Is  it  well  with  the  child  V"- 
It  is  asking  after  the  welfare  of  one  around  whom 
their  warmest  affections  are  clustering,  with  all  the 
strength  of  a  father's  love,  and  the  undying  steadfast- 
ness of  a  mother's  tenderness.  The  infant,  even  in 
the  first  months  of  its  helpless  innocence,  is  already 
exerting  a  powerful  influence  over  many  hearts.  How 
many  bosoms — alike  of  childhood  and  of  age — are 
filled  with  its  love  !  How  many  countenances,  as 
they  cluster  around  it,  light  up  with  gladness  at  its 
smiles  !  How  does  its  presence  spread  happiness 
through  its  home  !  Thus  early  do  the  threads  of  its 
influence  go  out,  and  entwine  about  the  hearts  of 
those  to  whom  Providence  hath  committed  its  keep- 
a  2  Kings  iv.  26. 


®- 


-® 


® __ . ® 

234  THE  church's  view 

ing.  How  powerfully,  then,  do  the  warmest  feelings 
of  our  nature  respond  at  once  to  the  question — "  Is 
it  well  with  the  child  ?" 

But  expressive  as  is  this  inquiry  when  applied  to 
the  temporal  welfare  of  your  child,  what  an  added 
emphasis  does  it  have,  when  we  carry  it  still  farther, 
and  refer  the  question  to  that  child's  spiritual  hopes  ! 
There  it  is,  in  the  feebleness  of  wailing  infancy — ap- 
parently so  frail,  that  its  existence,  like  that  of  the 
delicate  flower,  might  suddenly  be  nipped  even  by 
the  rude  winds  of  Heaven — and  realizing  the  descrip- 
tion which  Job  gives  of  our  nature,  that  its  "  founda- 
tion is  in  the  dust,  and  it  is  crushed  before  the  moth." 
Yet  that  frail  creature  is  a  candidate  for  immortality, 
and  no  power  in  the  universe  can  end  the  existence 
which  has  now  been  breathed  into  it.  Disease  or 
violence  may  reduce  to  insensibility  that  tender  frame, 
but  it  will  only  be  transferring  its  life  to  another 
sphere  of  being.  That  weak  and  powerless  body  is 
the  prison-house  of  a  spirit,  which  must  live  long  after 
the  material  universe  has  passed  away,  and  which 
through  all  the  wasteless  ages  of  its  immortality,  must 
be  rejoicing  in  bliss  ineffable,  or  else  mingling  its 
wail  with  the  despairing  cry  of  those  to  whom 

"  hope  never  comes, 


That  comes  to  all."') 

To  the  thoughtful  mind,  then,  what  solemn  reflec- 
tions gather  around  the  unconscious  infant !     How 

b  Paradise  Lost,  Book  i.  c.  66. 

® ® 


®— — ■ (s) 

OF    INFANT    BAPTISM.  235 

Strange  the  contrasts  suggested,  between  what  it  is 
and  what  it  shall  be  !  How  lofty  the  speculations  in 
which  we  may  indulge,  on  the  destiny  which  awaits 
it  in  this  world,  and  in  that  which  is  to  come ! 

But  with  what  intense  interest  should  these  emo- 
tions come  home  to  the  hearts  of  those  who  are  in- 
trusted with  the  guidance  of  that  child  !  They  are 
to  give  the  first  impulse  and  direction  to  that  immor- 
tal being.  They  are  to  allure  it  on  to  Heaven,  or  else 
suffer  it  to  be  lost  forever.  They  are  to  impress 
upon  its  infant  mind,  those  earliest  lessons  which  are 
to  give  tone  and  character  to  its  expanding  faculties. 
On  them,  then,  in  a  great  measure  it  depends,  whether 
that  infant  is  to  be  hereafter  a  saint  in  glory,  or 
through  eternity,  undone — a  castaway.  What  force, 
therefore,  is  there  in  the  question — "  Is  it  well  with 
the  child?"  It  is  asking,  whether  you  have  done  all 
that  is  in  your  power  to  lead  it  forward  in  the  way  of 
life  ? 

Neither  is  this  an  inquiry  which  is  without  meaning 
until  your  child  is  old  enough  to  be  benefited  by  your 
instructions.  You  have  a  spiritual  duty  to  perform 
in  its  behalf,  even  before  the  hours  arrive  when  its 
unfolding  mind«allovvs  it  to  profit  by  your  teaching. 
Long  ere  that  time  has  come,  you  may  place  it  within 
the  fold  of  Christ,  and  by  the  waters  of  baptism  dedi- 
cate it  to  Him  forever.  This  is  your  earliest  duty, 
and  until  it  is  fulfilled,  you  have  neglected  the  first 
step  in  seeking  the  welfare  of  your  child.  In  address- 
ing you  then  this  evening,  on  the  Church's  view  of 

® ® 


® __ ® 

236  THE  church's  view 

Infant  Baptism,  I  would  endeavor,  by  God's  bless- 
ing, to  impress  upon  you  the  necessity  of  bringing 
your  children  forward,  "  that  they  may  be  baptized 
with  water  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  received  into 
Christ's  holy  Church,  and  be  made  living  members  of 
the  same."" 

The  first  point,  then,  to  be  considered  is — the  au- 
tliority  for  infant  baptism.  This  rite  is  rejected  by 
some,  as  you  are  well  aware,  on  the  ground  that  it  is 
not  expressly  commanded  in  Scripture.  The  futility 
of  this  objection  will  at  once  be  seen,  if  we  remember 
how  many  other  duties  we  perform,  which  are  not  even 
mentioned  in  the  word  of  God.  That  volume  is  in- 
tended to  be  merely  the  outline  for  our  guidance,  and 
it  would  be  impossible,  within  its  narrow  limits,  to 
specify  each  particular  act  incumbent  upon  us  If 
we  take  this  ground,  that  the  authority  for  each  rite 
and  custom  must  be  drawn  only  from  the  Inspired 
Volume,  we  must  refuse  to  admit  females  to  the  cele- 
bration of  the  Lord's  Supper,  because  there  is  no  in- 
stance recorded  in  the  New  Testament  of  their  hav- 
ing received  it,  and  decline  any  longer  to  observe  as 
holy  the  first  day  of  the  week  instead  of  the  seventh, 
because  we  can  find  no  express  conjinand  enjoining 
the  change.  We  turn,  therefore,  to  the  practice  of 
the  Primitive  Church,  and  as  we  find  that  the  early 
followers  of  our  Lord  observed  both  these  customs, 
we  have  no  hesitation  in  following  their  example. 

c  Address  in  the  Baptismal  Service. 

® — — ® 


® — ® 

OF    INFANT    BAPTISM.  237 

And  for  a  reason  precisely  similar,  we  feel  constrain- 
ed to  admit  infants  to  the  waters  of  baptism. 

But  although  this  rite  is  not  expressly  inculcated 
in  Scripture,  yet  we  think  there  are  many  intimations 
in  the  New  Testament  which  are  clearly  in  its  favor. 
We  find  that,  when  the  heads  of  families  were  con- 
verted to  Christianity  by  the  Apostles,  they  were  not 
only  themselves  baptized,  but  also  their  households 
with  them.  Thus  it  is  stated,  that  "  Lydia  and  her 
household'" — "  the  jailer  and  cxll  his  ....  with  all 
his  house"" — and  "  the  household  of  Stephanas'"^ — 
were  baptized  by  St.  Paul.  Now,  is  it  probable  that 
these  households  were  all  composed  of  none  but 
adults — that  there  were  no  children  belonging  to 
them?  If,  indeed,  we  examine  in  the  original  the 
meaning  of  the  word,  (oiy.os,)  rendered  "house" 
and  "  household"  in  our  version  of  Scripture,  we  shall 
find  that  the  term  has  a  comprehensiveness,  extend- 
ing to  children,  and  sometimes  to  even  more  remote 
descendants.^  And  this  interpretation  is  strength- 
ened by  the  fact,  that  in  the  Syriac  version  of  the 
New  Testament,  which  was  completed  early  in  the 
second  century,  if  not  before,''  this  word  is  in  every 

d  Acts  xvi.  15.        e  Acts  xvi.  33,  34.       f  1  Cor.  i.  16. 

g   "  niKuv,  'family,'   including  every  age  and  sex,  and  of 
course,  infants.     So  Ignatius   Epist.  p.  21,  cited  by  Wolf: 
diTxa^oftin    Toii    otKovi    rtov    dScXifioiv    fxov    aiv    yvvai^i    Kai    tckvois. 
Bloomjield's  Greek  Test.    1  Cor.  i.  16. 

h  "  This  version  (the  Syriac)  is  confessedly  of  the  high- 
est antiquity,  and  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  it  was 

11* 

® • ® 


® ® 

I 

238  THE  church's  view 

case  rendered  "  children  ;"  thus — "  Lydia  and  her 
children" — "the  jailer  with  all  his  children" — and 
"  the  children  of  Stephanas."  The  Church  therefore 
in  that  age  must  surely  have  believed,  that  children 
were  baptized  by  the  Apostles.  This  indeed  was 
only  the  enjoyment  of  that  grace  which  St.  Peter  de- 
clared to  the  Jews  they  were  to  inherit.  "  For  the 
promise" — said  he — "  is  unto  you,  and  to  your  chil- 
dren" 

And  this  too  was  but  in  accordance  with  the  con- 
duct of  our  Lord  while  on  earth.  He  seems  to  have 
loved  the  little  ones  of  His  flock,  and  to  have  receiv- 
ed them  into  His  peculiar  favor.  On  one  occasion, 
we  are  told,  "  He  took  a  child,  and  set  him  in  the 
midst  of  them ;  and  when  He  had  taken  him  in  His 
arms,  he  said  unto  them.  Whosoever  shall  receive  one 
of  such  children  in  my  name,  receiveth  me."  And 
when,  again.  His  disciples  would  have  prevented 
those  who  brought  little  children  to  Him,  our  Lord 
rebuked  them,  and  "  was  much  displeased,"  saying, 
"  Suffer  the  little  children  to  come  unto  me,  and  for- 
bid them  not ;  for  of  such  is  the  Kingdom  of  God." 
And  may  not  the  phrase,  "  Kingdom  of  God,"  refer  to 
the  Militant  Church  here,  as  well  as  to  the  Church  tri- 
umphant in  Heaven?  St.  Mark  also  adds — "And 
He  took  them  up  in  His  arms,  put  His  hands  upon 
them,  and  blessed  them."  Among,  too,  the  last 
exhortations  which  he  gave  to  His  Apostle  Peter, 

made,  if  not  in  the  first  century,  at  least  in  the  beginning  of 

the  second  century."     Home's  Introd.  to  Scrip,  v.  ii.  p.  203. 

I 
® ' ® 


(J) _„  ^  ~ ■ — ® 

OF    INFANT    BAPTISM.  239 

was  the  injunction — "  Feed  my  lambs."  Is  it  proba- 
ble, then,  with  this  affection  for  the  little  ones  of  the 
flock,  that  He  would  debar  them  from  entrance  into 
His  Church — that  He  would  bid  them  stand  without 
the  shelter  of  the  fold,  and  not  participate  in  the 
benefits  it  affords  ?  No — such  a  course  would  be 
but  little  in  accordance  with  that  character,  under 
which  the  prophet  Isaiah  foretold  Him,  when  he  de- 
scribed Him  as  the  good  Shepherd,  who  should 
"  gather  the  lambs  with  His  arm,  and  carry  them  in 
His  bosom." 

Neither  can  any  thing  be  argued — as  is  often  done 
— from  the  command  to  His  disciples,  which  seems 
to  render  faith  a  necessary  antecedent  to  baptism — 
"  He  that  believeth,  and  is  baptized,  shall  be  saved ; 
but  he  that  believeth  not,  shall  be  damned."  This 
refers  to  the  adults  who  then  listened  to  the  word, 
and  who,  of  course,  as  the  Gospel  was  in  that  genera- 
tion new  in  the  world,  had  never  before  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  being  baptized,  and  therefore  in  their  maturer 
years  were  obliged  to  submit  to  that  rite,  when  they 
became  proselytes  to  Christianity.  It  is  by  no  means 
an  evidence  that  faith  was  in  every  case  an  indispen- 
sable requisite  for  baptism.  This  argument,  indeed, 
would  prove  entirely  too  much.  If  the  first  half  of 
the  verse — "  he  that  believeth,  and  is  baptized,  shall 
be  saved  " — debars  infants  from  baptism  for  want  of 
faith,  then  the  last  half — "  he  that  believeth  not,  shall 
be  damned" — would  exclude  them  from  heaven,  for  the 
same  reason.     The  Church,  therefore,  in  her  Baptis- 

® ^ 


® ® 

240  THE  church's  view 

mal  Service,  after  that  portion  of  St.  Mark's  Gospel 
has  been  read,  which  gives  the  narrative  of  our  Lord's 
love  for  little  children,  directs  the  following  exhorta- 
tion to  be  made — "  Beloved,  ye  hear  in  this  Gospel 
the  words  of  our  Saviour  Christ,  that  He  commanded 
the  children  to  be  brought  unto  Him ;  how  He  blam- 
ed those  who  would  have  kept  them  from  Him ;  how 
He  exhorteth  all  men  to  follow  their  innocency.  Ye 
perceive  how,  by  His  outward  gesture  and  deed,  He 
declared  His  good  will  toward  them  ;  for  He  embrac- 
ed them  in  His  arms,  He  laid  His  hands  upon  them, 
and  blessed  them.  Doubt  ye  not,  therefore,  but  ear- 
nestly believe,  that  He  will  likewise  favorably  receive 
this  present  infant ;  that  He  will  embrace  him  with 
the  arms  of  His  mercy ;  that  He  will  give  unto  him 
the  blessing  of  eternal  life,  and  make  him  partaker 
of  His  everlasting  Kingdom.  Wherefore,  we  being 
thus  persuaded  of  the  good  will  of  our  Heavenly 
Father  toward  this  infant,  declared  by  His  Son  Jesus 
Christ ;  and  nothing  doubting,  but  that  He  favorably 
alloweth  this  charitable  work  of  ours,  in  bringing  this 
infant  to  this  holy  baptism ;  let  us  faithfully  and  de- 
voutly give  thanks  unto  Him." 

And  I  rejoice,  brethren,  that  it  is  so.  I  thank 
Heaven  that  the  Church  takes  this  wide  and  expanded 
view  of  the  loving-kindness  of  Him,  in  whose  steps  she 
directs  us  to  walk.  Were  she  unfaithful  to  her  high 
trust,  in  this  particular,  I  could  not  minister  at  her 
altars,  or  coldly  repel  from  her  fold  those  who  most 
need  her  nurture.     I  could  not  preach  the  chilling 

®— ■ ® 


® _® 

OF    INFANT    BAPTISM.  241 

doctrines  of  a  creed,  which  proclaims  to  be  unworthy 
of  admission  into  the  Church  on  earth,  those  little 
ones,  with  regard  to  whom  our  Lord  has  expressly 
said — "  of  such  is  the  Kingdom  of  God." 

Again — a  direct  argument  in  favor  of  infant 
baptism  is  derived  from  the  fact,  that  baptism  has 
taken  the  place  of  circumcision.  The  Christian 
dispensation — as  I  have  already  remarked  to  you  in 
a  former  Lecture — is  only  a  continuation — a  fuller 
development  of  the  Jewish.  It  is  the  same  Church, 
but  expanded  into  a  nobler  form.'  While,  therefore, 
the  most  perfect  parallel  can  be  drawn  between  the 
two,  among  other  particulars,  we  find  circumcision  as 
an  initiatory  rite  laid  aside,  and  baptism  adopted  in 
its  place.  We  should  expect,  therefore,  to  find  the 
latter  in  every  respect  answering  to  the  former.  And 
so  it  does.  When  an  adult  became  a  proselyte  from 
idolatry  to  Judaism,  God  commanded  him  to  be  cir- 
cumcised ;  and  when  a  heathen  in  this  age,  in  the 
maturity  of  his  years  listens  for  the  first  time  to  the 
news  of  the  Gospel,  and  bows  his  heart  to  its  sway, 
he  in  the  same  way  is  baptized,  in  token  of  his  alle- 
giance. But,  by  the  express  direction  of  God,  infants 
were  also  admitted  by  circumcision  into  the  Jewish 
Church ;  why,  then,  can  they  not  by  baptism  be  re- 
ceived into  the  Christian  fold  ?  If  they  are  unworthy 
in  the  latter  case,  why  were  they  not  in  the  former? 
If  they  are  to  be  debarred  now,  because  they  are  in- 
capable of  understanding  their  obligations,  and  be- 
i    Sec  Lecture  II. 

® ® 


® ® 

242  THE  church's  view 

lieving  in  God,  surely  they  were  equally  incapable  of 
doing  so  under  the  Mosaic  Economy.  No,  brethren, 
believe  it  not,  that  the  little  ones  of  the  flock  are  to 
be  excluded.  The  Church  is  the  same  in  all  ages, 
and  so  are  the  general  principles  by  which  she  is 
regulated.  And  now,  as  in  the  ancient  days,  "  the 
promise  is  to  you,  and  to  your  children. "J 

j  This  argument  might  be  strengthened  by  a  more  par- 
ticular reference  to  Jewish  customs.  Baptism,  under  the 
Christian  dispensation,  was  not  a  new  rite,  for  it  had  long 
been  practised  among  the  Jews.  Our  Lord  merely  retained 
it,  at  the  same  time  investing  it  with  a  new  authority  and 
meaning.  When  John,  therefore,  commenced  baptizing,  the 
Pharisees  and  Scribes  did  not  ask  him  the  meaning  of  this 
rite,  but  simply,  by  what  authority  he  administered  it.  "  Why 
baptizest  thou  then,  if  thou  be  not  that  Christ,  nor  Elias, 
neither  that  prophet.'"'     (John  i.  25.) 

Every  proselyte  among  the  Jews  was  circumcised,  bap- 
tized, and  obliged  to  ofier  a  sacrifice.  Thus,  Maimonides 
says — "  In  all  ages,  when  a  Gentile  is  willing  to  enter  into 
the  Covenant,  and  gather  himself  under  the  wings  of  the 
Majesty  of  God,  and  take  upon  him  the  yoke  of  the  Law,  he 
must  be  circumcised,  and  baptized,  and  bring  a  sacrifice ;  or, 
if  it  be  a  woman,  be  baptized  and  bring  a  sacrifice." 

In  such  cases,  their  children,  even  if  infants,  were  baptized 
with  them.  This  was  done  in  the  presence  of  three  persons, 
called  the  Court,  or  the  House  of  Judgment,  who  acted  as 
witnesses ;  and  from  this  Jewish  practice  the  Christian 
Church  has  derived  the  custom  of  having  the  same  number 
of  sponsors  at  the  Baptism  of  each  child.  Thus,  in  the 
Gemara  Babylon,  we  find  this  declaration — "  They  are  wont 
to  baptize  such  a  Proselyte  in  infancy,  upon  the  profession  of 
the  House  of  Judgment ;  for  this  is  for  his  good."  Upon 
which   passage    there   is   the   following  gloss — " '  They  are 

® ■ ® 


® ® 

OF    INFANT    BAPTISM.  243 

There  is  another  argument  on  this  subject  which 
is  most  conclusive.  It  is  the  fact,  that  even  in  the 
first  age  of  the  Church — from  the  Apostles'  days — 
infant  baptism  has  been  practised.  We  learn  this, 
in  a  great  measure,  incidentally  from  the  early  writers. 
We  do  not  find  this  rite  explicitly  set  forth  and  com- 
manded by  them,  because  it  was  unnecessary  to  do 
so ;  for  in  that  age  no  one  doubted  its  obligation. 
Yet  the  allusions  to  it  are  such  as  with  any  reasona- 
ble mind  place  the  matter  beyond  a  doubt. 

For  instance — Justin  Martyr,  who  was  born  near 
the  close  of  the  first  century,  in  speaking  of  Chris- 
wont  to  baptize.'  Because  none  is  made  a  Proselyte  without 
circumcision  and  Baptism.  '  Upon  tlie  profession  of  the 
House  of  Judgment.'  That  is,  the  three  men  who  have  the 
care  of  iiis  Baptism,  according  to  the  law  of  the  baptism  of 
Proselytes,  which  requires  three  men,  who  do  so  become  to 
him  a  father,  and  he  is  by  them  made  a  Proselyte."  Again, 
"  He  is  no  Proselyte,  unless  he  is  circumcised  and  baptized, 
and  if  he  be  not  baptized,  he  remains  a  Gentile." 

Again,  Maimonides  says — "A  Proselyte  that  is  under 
age,  they  arc  wont  to  baptize  upon  tiie  profession  of  the 
Court;  because  this  is  for  his  good."  And — "  An  Israelite 
that  takes  a  little  Heathen  child,  or  that  finds  a  Heathen  infant, 
and  baptizes  him  for  a  proselyte,  behold  he  is  a  proselyte." 

The  works  of  Lightfoot,  Selden,  and  Wall,  abound  with 
similar  extracts  from  Jewish  writers,  proving  their  custom  of 
baptizing  infants.  But  did  our  Lord  anywhere  rebuke  his 
countrymen  for  it  ^  Did  He  denounce  it  as  a  vain  form  and 
superstition  .'  If  He  did  not,  is  it  not  rather  late  in  the  day 
for  uninspired  teachers  to  begin  this  work,  or  to  stigmatize,  as 
"  a  remnant  of  Popery,"  a  custom  which  has  existed  for 
3500  years .' 

® ® 


®^— ® 

244  THE  church's  view 

tians  cotemporary  with  himself,  says  that  "  there 
were  among  Christians  in  his  time  many  persons  of 
both  sexes,  some  sixty,  some  seventy  years  old,  who 
had  been  mar/e  disciples  to  Christ  from  their  infancy, 
and  continued  virgins  or  uncorrupted  all  their  lives.'"' 
Now  in  what  way,  we  ask,  could  infants  be  made 
disciples  of  Christ,  except  by  baptism  ?  And  as 
Justin  wrote  this  Apology  about  the  year  148,'  those 
of  whom  he  speaks  as  baptized  sixty  or  seventy  years 
before,  in  their  infancy,  must  have  been  persons  bap- 
tized in  the  first  age,  while  some  of  the  Apostles 
were  living.  This  rite  must,  therefore,  have  been 
administered  with  their  concurrence  and  sanction. 

Again — such  is  also  the  testimony  of  Irenaeus, 
who  was  born  during  the  days  of  the  Apostles,  in  the 
year  97,'"  and  trained  up  under  St.  Polycarp,  "the 
angel  of  the  Church  in  Smyrna,"  who  had  himself 
been  a  disciple  of  St.  John.  He  speaks  of  baptism 
as  "regeneration,""  and  mentions  among  those  who 

k   Apol.  ii.  p.  62. 

1    Bingham's  Orig.  Eccles.  lib.  xi.  ch.  4,  sect.  7. 

m    Cave's  Hist.  Liter,  vol.  i.  p.  41. 

n  To  show  the  sense  in  vi^hich  the  word  "regeneration" 
has  always  been  used  in  the  Church,  we  give  the  following 
passage  from  Bishop  Hobart's  writings — "  When  the  Church- 
man, in  the  language  of  Scripture,  of  primitive  antiquity, 
and  of  the  Articles  and  Liturgy  of  his  Church,  calls 
baptism  regeneration,  he  does  not  employ  the  term  in  its 
popular  signification  among  many  Protestants,  to  denote 
the  divine  influences  upon  the  soul  in  its  sanctification 
and  renovation,  in  abolishing  the  body  of  sin,  and  raising 
up  the   graces   and   virtues  of  the  new   man.      The  term 

® — ® 


® ® 

OF    INFANT    BAPTISM.  245 

are  thus  regenerated  to  God,  "  infants  and  little  ones, 
and  children,  and  youths,  and  elder  persons."" 

Clemens  of  Alexandria,  who  was  born  about  the 
middle  of  the  second  century,  wrote  a  work  intended 
to  instruct  young  Christians  in  the  practical  duties  of 
their  faith.  In  the  course  of  this,  he  reproves  them 
for  the  devices  engraved  on  their  seals,  for  which 
purpose  they  sometimes  used  images  taken  from  the 
ancient  idolatry,  and  at  the  same  time  suggests  some 
figures  more  Christian  in  their  character.  Thus,  he 
says — "  If  any  one  be  a  fisherman,  let  him  think  of 
an  Apostle,  and  the  children  talcen  out  of  the  loatcrP^ 
If,  then,  Clemens  could  thus  exhort  them  to  select 
the  representation  of  an  Apostle  baptizing  infants, 

regeneration  is  used  by  liim  in  its  original^  and  appropriate, 
and  technical  acceptation,  to  denote  the  translation  of  the 
baptized  person  from  that  state  in  which,  as  destitute  of  any 
covenanted  title  to  salvation  he  is  styled  '  tlie  child  of 
wrath,'  into  that  state  which,  as  it  proffers  to  him  in  all  cases 
the  covenanted  mercy  and  grace  of  God,  and  in  the  exercise 
of  repentance  and  faith  actually  conveys  to  him  these  bless- 
ings, is  styled  a  'state  of  salvation.'  (Catechism  of  the 
Church.)  It  must  be  obvious,  that  the  sacramental  com- 
mencement of  the  spiritual  life  in  the  regeneration  of  bap- 
tism, and  the  subsequent  sanctification  of  the  principles,  the 
powers,  and  affections  of  the  new  man,  by  the  renewing  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  are  distinct  acts  and  operations ;  the  former 
leading  to  the  latter,  which,  without  it,  is  wholly  inefficacious 
to  salvation  ;  on  the  contrary,  increases  the  condemnation  of 
the  despiser  of  the  gifts  and  calling  of  God."  Charge  to  the 
Clergy  of  JVetc-  York  in  1819. 
o   Adv.  Hajres.lib.  ii.  ch.  39.       p  Pffidogog.  lib.iii.ch.  11. 

® ® 


® . ® 

246  THE  church's  view 

does  it  not  prove  that  he  believed  the  Apostles  did 
administer  that  rite  even  to  those  of  that  tender  age, 
and  that  such  in  his  time  was  the  practice  of  the 
Church  ? 

Origen,  who  was  born  in  the  second  century — 
had  been  trained  up  from  infancy  by  Christian  parents 
— visited  in  his  travels  most  of  the  Churches  in  the 
world — and  gained  the  reputation  of  being  the  most 
learned  man  of  his  age — records  his  testimony  most 
unequivocally  in  behalf  of  infant  baptism.  His  lan- 
guage is — "  Let  it  be  considered,  what  is  the  reason 
why  the  Baptism  of  the  Church,  which  is  given  for 
remission  of  sins,  is,  by  the  usage  of  the  Church, 
given  to  infants  also ;  whereas,  if  there  were  nothing 
in  infants  which  needed  forgiveness  and  mercy,  the 
grace  of  Baptism  would  seem  to  be  to  them  super- 
fluous.'"! 

Again,  he  says — "  Infants  are  baptized  for  the 
remission  of  sins.  Of  what  sins,  or  at  what  time 
have  they  sinned  ?  Or  how  can  there  be  in  infants  any 
reason  for  the  Laver,  unless  according  to  that  sense 
of  which  we  have  spoken  a  little  before,  viz. — '  No 
one  is  free  from  pollution,  although  his  life  upon 
the  earth  has  been  but  one  day  V  And  because  by 
the  Sacrament  of  Baptism  native  pollution  is  re- 
moved, therefore  infants  also  are  baptized."" 

And  again — "  The  Church  received  from  the  Apos- 
tles a  tradition  to  give  Baptism  also  to  infants. 
For  they  to  whom  the  Divine  mysteries  were  com- 
q   Homil.  viii.  in  Levit.ch.  12.  r  Horn,  in  Luc.  c.  14. 

® ® 


® ® 

OF    INFANT    BAPTISM.  247 

mitted,  knew  that  there  is  in  all  persons  the  natural 
pollution  of  sin,  which  should  be  washed  away  by 
water  and  the  Spirit,  and  on  account  of  which,  also, 
the  body  itself  is  called  the  body  of  sin.'" 

We  would  appeal  then  to  your  reason ;  who  is 
most  likely  to  have  been  correct  on  this  point,  Origen 
— who  lived  before  the  memory  of  the  Apostles  had 
faded  from  the  Church — or  those  who,  1500  years 
after  their  day,  for  the  first  time  discovered  that  in- 
fant baptism  should  not  be  administered? 

St.  Augustine,  Bishop  of  Hippo,  in  Africa,  who 
was  born  about  the  middle  of  the  fourth  century, 
bears  the  same  testimony.  His  words  are — "  And  if 
any  one  do  ask  for  Divine  authority  in  this  matter — 
though  that  which  the  icliole  Church  practises,  and 
which  has  not  been  instituted  by  councils,  btit  ivas  ever 
in  use,  is  very  reasonably  believed  to  be  no  other  than 
a  thing  delivered  by  authority  of  the  Apostles — 
yet  we  may  besides  take  a  true  estimate  how  much 
the  Sacrament  does  avail  infants,  by  the  Circumci- 
sion which  God's  former  people  received.'" 

"  We  affirm,  that  the  Holy  Spirit  dwells  in  bap- 
tized infants,  though  they  know  it  not ;  for  after  the 
same  manner  they  know  Him  not,  though  He  be  in 
them,  as  they  know  not  their  own  soul.  The  reason 
whereof,  which  they  cannot  yet  make  use  of,  is  in 
them  as  a  spark  raked  up,  which  will  kindle  as  they 
grow  in  years."" 

s  Com.  in  Rom.  lib.  5.  t  De  Bap.  lib.  iv.  c.  23. 

u  Epist.  57,  ad  Dardanum. 

®  ® 


® ® 

248  THE  church's  view 

In  another  place,  referring  to  the  Pelagians,  he 
says — "  They  grant  that  infants  must  he  baptized,  as 
not  being  able  to  oppose  the  authority  of  the  whole 
Church,  which  was  doubtless  delivered  hy  our  Lord 
and  his  Apostles.'"' 

"  Original  sin  is  so  plain  by  the  Scriptures,  and 
that  it  is  forgiven  to  infonts  in  the  Laver  of  Regen- 
eration, is  so  confirmed  by  the  antiquity  and  authority 
of  the  Catholic  faith,  and  so  notoriously  the  practice 
of  the  Church,  that  whatsoever  is  contrary  to  this 
cannot  be  true."" 

"  The  custom  of  our  mother,  the  Church,  in 
baptizing  infants,  must  not  be  disregarded,  nor  con- 
sidered needless,  nor  believed  to  be  other  than  a  tradi- 
tion of  the  Apostles.'"' 

St.  Ambrose,  the  Bishop  of  Milan,  who  was  born 
A.D.  340,  in  speaking  of  the  miracle  by  which 
Elijah  divided  the  river  Jordan,  and  caused  the  waters 
to  flow  backwards  to  their  source,  (2  Kings  xi.) 
says — "  It  signified  the  Sacrament  of  the  Laver  of 
Salvation,  which  was  afterwards  to  be  instituted,  by 
which  those  infants  that  are  baptized  are  reformed 
back  again  from  a  state  of  wickedness,  to  the  primitive 
state  of  their  nature."*' 

"  No  person  comes  to  the  kingdom  of  Heaven 
but  by  the  Sacrament  of  Baptism.  For  *  unless 
a  person  be  born  again  of  water  and  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,   he  cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God.' 

V  De  Peccat.  c.  26.  w  Contra  Pelag.  Lib.  iii.  c.  10. 

X  De  Gen.  ad  lit.  lib.  10.    y  Comm.  lib.  i.  in  St.  c.  Luc.  1. 

® -® 


® @ 

OF    INFANT    BAPTISM.  249 

You  see  He  excepts  no  person,  not  an  infant,  not  one 
that  is  hindered  by  any  unavoidable  accident."^ 

St.  Chrysostom,  the  eloquent  Bishop  of  Constan- 
tinople, who  was  also  born  about  the  middle  of  the 
fourth  century,  says — "  And  those  that  are  baptized, 
some  of  them  were  children  when  they  received  it.'"^ 

Again,  when  referring  to  the  Jewish  Circumci- 
sion, and  the  age  of  eight  days  at  which  it  was  admin- 
istered, he  says — "  But  our  Circumcision — I  mean 
the  grace  of  Baptism — has  no  determinate  time  as 
that  had  ;  but  one  that  is  in  the  very  beginning  of  his 
age,  or  one  that  is  in  the  middle  of  it,  or  one  that  is 
in  his  old  age,  may  receive  this  circumcision  made 
without  hands,  in  which  there  is  no  trouble  to  be 
undergone,  but  to  throw  off  the  load  of  sins,  and  re- 
ceive pardon  for  all  foregoing  offences.'"' 

In  the  same  way,  his  cotemporary,  Theodoret 
the  historian,  a  Syrian  Bishop,  speaking  of  Baptism 
as  conveying  forgiveness  of  past  sins,  says — "If  it 
had  no  other  effect  than  that,  what  need  we  baptize 
infants,  that  have  not  tasted  ofsin?"° 

Such,  then,  is  the  unvarying  testimony  of  the 
Primitive  Church,  on  this  important  doctrine.  And 
the  view  we  have  given  is  strengthened  by  the  dis- 
cussions which  in  those  ages  took  place  on  this  sub- 
ject, since  in  none  of  them  do  we  ever  find  a  doubt 
suggested   as   to   the  lawfulness  of  infant  baptism, 

z  De  Abraham  Patriarch,  lib.  ii.  c.  11. 

a  Horn.  23,  in  Acta  Apost.  b  Horn.  40,  in  Gen. 

c  Haeretic.  Fabular.  lib.  v.  de  Bapt. 

®— — ■ ® 


® _ — ® 

250  THE  church's  view 

The  controversy  was  always  on  some  collateral  point. 
The  earliest  of  these  is  by  Tertullian  in  the  begin- 
ning of  the  third  century,  a  writer  whose  strange 
speculations  led  him  on  from  one  step  to  another, 
until  at  last  he  fell  into  heresy  and  openly  became 
a  Montanist.  Believing  that  the  rite  of  Baptism  at 
any  period  of  life  entirely  washed  away  all  sin,  he 
proposed  that  it  should  be  delayed  as  long  as  possible, 
even  if  it  could  be  done,  to  a  person's  last  hour,  that 
thus  the  collected  iniquities  of  a  lifetime  might  at  once 
be  swept  away.  He  acknowledges,  however,  that  the 
custom  of  the  Church  has  always  been  otherwise ; 
a  fact  which  is  sufficiently  proved  by  the  very  nature 
of  his  argument.  He  is  plainly  contending  in  behalf 
of  an  innovation.  His  words  are — "  For  according 
to  every  one's  condition,  and  disposition,  and  also 
their  age,  the  delaying  of  Baptism  is  more  advanta- 
geous, especially  in  the  case  of  little  children.  For 
what  need  is  there  that  the  godfathers  should  be 
brought  into  danger?  Because  they  may  either  fail 
of  their  promises  by  death,  or  they  may  be  deceived 

by  a  child's  proving  of  wicked  disposition 

What  need  their  innocent  age  make  such  haste  to  the 
forgiveness  of  sins.'"*  "  The  way  of  Tertullian's 
arguing  upon  this  point  " — says  Bingham — "  shows 
plainly,  that  he  was  for  introducing  a  new  practice ; 
that  therefore  it  was  the  custom  of  the  Church  in  his 
time  to  give  Baptism  to  infants,  as  well  as  to  adult 
persons."' 

d  De  Bap.  c.  18.       e  Oiig.  Ecclcs.  lib.  xi.  ch.  iv.  sect.  10. 
® ® 


® ® 

OF    INFANT    BAPTISM.  251 

But  in  giving  this  advice  about  delay,  he  himself 
confines  it  to  cases,  where  there  was  no  danger  or 
apprehension  of  death.  For  otherwise,  he  pleads 
strongly  for  the  necessity  of  immediate  baptism,  both 
from  those  words  of  our  Lord — "  Except  a  man  be 
born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  God  " — and  also  from  that  general 
corruption  of  original  sin,  which  infects  infants  as 
much  as  adults/ 

The  only  other  ancient  writer  who  varied  somewhat 
from  the  general  opinion  of  the  Church  was  St.  Gre- 
gory Nazianzen,  Bishop  of  Constantinople,  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  fourth  century.  He  did  not  carry 
his  wish  for  innovation  as  far  as  Tertullian,  for  he 
did  not  desire  Baptism  to  be  postponed  until  persons 
had  reached  years  of  maturity,  but  only  until  they 
were  three  years  old,  that  they  might  gain  at  least, 
some  little  glimmering  of  religious  truth.  He  agrees 
with  Tertullian,  however,  in  declaring  that  all  who 
are  in  any  danger  should  be  at  once  baptized,  lest 
any  die  without  that  sacrament.  With  regard  to 
those  in  whose  case  nothing  like  this  is  apprehended, 
his  language  is — "  As  for  others,  I  give  my  opinion 
that  they  should  stay  three  years  or  thereabouts, 
when  they  are  capable  to  hear  and  answer  some  of 
the  holy  words ;  and  though  they  do  not  perfectly 
understand  them,  yet  they  form  them ;  and  that  you 
then  sanctify  them  in  soul  and  body  with  the  great 
sacrament  of  initiation. "=  Here  again  we  see,  that 
f  Dc  anima,  cap.  40 — Dc  Bapt.  cap.  13.  g  Do  Bap.  Orat.40. 
® ® 


® —(g) 

252  THE  church's  view 

he  was  pleading  against  the  ancient,  uniform  practice 
of  the  Church. 

Such,  too,  is  the  evidence  we  may  draw  from  the 
first  discussion  of  this  subject  before  a  public  council 
of  the  Church.  This  was  the  Council  of  Carthage, 
A.  D.  253,  where  66  Bishops  were  assembled,  whose 
proceedings  we  learn  from  St.  Cyprian.  No  one  had 
then  the  hardihood  to  inquire,  whether  infant  baptism 
ought  to  be  administered  or  not ;  but  Fidus,  the 
Bishop  of  a  country  diocese,  proposed  to  the  Council 
the  question — "  Whether  infants  ought  to  be  baptized 
before  they  were  eight  days  old  ?" — since  this  was  the 
age  for  circumcision  in  the  Jewish  Church.  But  the 
Council  unanimously  decided,  that  there  was  no  oc- 
casion for  this  delay,  but  infants  might  be  baptized  at 
any  time.  And  in  their  Synodical  Epistle  to  Fidus, 
the  following  unequivocal  language  is  used — "  As  to 
the  case  of  infants,  whereas  you  judge  '  that  they 
must  not  be  baptized  within  two  or  three  days  after 
they  are  born,  and  that  the  rule  of  circumcision  is  to 
be  observed,  so  that  none  should  be  baptized  and 
sanctified  before  the  eighth  day  after  he  is  born,'  we 
were  all  in  our  assembly  '  of  the  contrary  opinion. 
For,  as  for  what  you  thought  fitting  to  be  done,  there 
was  not  one  that  was  of  your  mind,  but  all  of  us,  on 
the  contrary,  judged  that  the  grace  and  mercy  of 
God,  [i.  e.,  as  conveyed  through  Baptism,]  is  to  be 

denied  to  no  person  that  is  born." "  And, 

therefore,  dearest  brother,  this  was  our  sentence  in 

the  Council,  that  no  one  ought  to  be  hindered  by  us 

® ® 


® — — ® 

OF    INFANT    BAPTISM.  253 

from  Baptism  and  the  Grace  of  God,  who  is  merciful 
and  kind  and  affectionate  to  all." 

The  result,  then,  to  which  history  brings  us  is 
this — that  during  the  first  1100  years  of  the  existence 
of  the  Christian  Church,  no  society  of  men,  or  even 
single  individual  of  whom  we  have  any  record,  denied 
the  lawfulness  of  infant  baptism.  Tlie  first  direct 
opposition  to  this  rite  arose  about  the  year  1120,  in 
the  midst  of  the  darkness  which  had  overspread  the 
greater  part  of  Europe,  and  the  wild  fanaticism  and 
fearful  perversions  of  the  truth  to  which  it  gave  birth. 
At  this'  time,  an  obscure  sect  founded  by  Peter 
de  Bruys — some  of  whose  opinions  were  afterwards 
adopted  by  the  Albigenses  and  Waldenses — declared 
against  the  baptism  of  infants,  because  they  believed 
them  to  be  incapable  of  salvation.''  This  doctrine, 
however,  was  received  by  but  few,  and  became  extinct 
in  1147,  after  the  death  of  de  Bruys  and  his  immediate 
followers. 

It  was  not  until  about  1522  that  this  heresy  ob- 
tained any  permanent  footing.  At  the  time  of  the 
Reformation,  when  the  human  mind,  bursting  from 
its  long  thraldom,  naturally  abused  its  newly  acquired 
liberty — when  it  rioted  in  a  thousand  fantastic  forms, 
enabling  each  one  to  form  his  creed  according  to  the 
peculiar  caprices  of  his  own  heart — when,  antiquity 
and  authority  being  disregarded,  an  hundred  sects 
arose,  each  differing  from  the  Church  in  some  one 
particular  which  it  insisted  upon  as  essential — then  it 
h   Mosheim's  Eccles.  Hist.  v.  ii.  p.  309. 

I  12 

® ® 


-® 


254 


THE    CHURCH  S    VIEW 


was,  that  Infant  Baptism  was  set  aside,  and  a  small 
and  inconsiderable  party  announced  to  the  Christian 
world,  that  for  1500  years  the  whole  Church  had  been 
in  grievous  error.  The  preacher  of  this  new  doc- 
trine was  Munzer,  in  1521,  who  having  excited  his 
followers  to  insurrection  and  civil  war,  was  finally 
defeated  and  executed.  It  was  not  until  1534  that 
the  sect  of  the  Anabaptists  became  regularly  organ- 
ized as  a  distinct  religious  society.  In  this  year, 
headed  by  John  Boccold,  a  journeyman  tailor,  whom 
they  had  named  their  king,  and  incited  to  the  most 
impious  extravagances  by  John  Matthias,  a  baker, 
who  claimed  to  be  a  prophet,  they  captured  the  city 
of  Munster,  and  attempted  to  establish  a  kingdom  to 
be  called  the  New  Zion.'  The  city  being  re-captured 
in  the  following  year,  and  their  forces  dispersed,  some 
escaped  to  England,  and  then  for  the  first  time  these 
doctrines  began  to  spread  in  that  land. 

This,  then,  is  the  view  which  history  gives  us, 
of  the  rise  of  those  who  deny  to  infants  the  rite  of 
Baptism.  And  who,  with  this  account  before  him, 
could  hesitate  for  a  moment  to  decide  whether  or  not 
it  should  be  administered  1  On  the  one  side  is  the 
united  testimony  of  the  Catholic  Church  as  it  comes 
down  through  eighteen  centuries,  and  on  the  other 
are  the  loud  clamors  of  a  sect  which  three  centuries 
ago  just  struggled  into  being,  and  whose  cradle  was 
rocked  by  the  wild  heavings  of  ignorance  and  fanati- 

i    Mosheim's  Eccles.  Hist.  v.  iii.  p.  65. 

® ® 


(S) ® 

OF    INFANT    BAPTISM.  255 

cism.'     We  may,  in  this  respect,  as  in  every  other, 
cleave  to  the  faith  of  Apostles  and  Martyrs  who  lived 

j  It  is  well  known  that  Roger  Williams  was  the  founder 
of  the  sect  of  the  Baptists  in  this  country.  Who,  then,  gave 
him  his  commission  ?  An  answer  to  this  question  is  found  in 
the  following  extract  from  the  "History  of  the  Baptist 
Church  in  Providence."  "  Being  settled  in  this  place,  whicli, 
from  the  kindness  of  God  to  them,  they  called  Providence, 
Mr.  Williams,  and  tliose  with  him,  considered  the  importance 
of  Gospel  union,  and  were  desirous  of  forming  themselves 
into  a  Church  ;  but  met  with  considerable  obstruction.  They 
were  convinced  of  the  nature  and  design  of  believers'  bap- 
tism by  immersion,  but  from  a  variety  of  circumstances  had 
hitherto  been  prevented  from  submersion.  To  obtain  a  suitable 
administrator  was  a  matter  of  consequence.  At  length  the 
candidates  for  communion  nominated  and  appointed  Ezekiel 
Holliman,  a  man  of  gifts  and  piety,  to  baptize  Mr.  Williams, 
and  who  in  return  baptized  Mr.  Holliman  and  the  other 
ten." 

It  is  now  a  principle  for  which  none  contend  more  strenu- 
ously than  the  Baptists,  that  Scriptural  and  valid  baptism  can- 
not be  administered  by  any  one  who  is  himself  unbaptized. 
Yet  of  these  twelve  persons,  who  thus  baptized  each  other, 
not  one  had  previously  been  immersed,  and  of  course  on 
Baptist  principles,  they  were  unbaptized.  What  right,  then, 
had  tliey  to  admit  into  the  visible  fold  of  Clirist,  or  to  "form 
themselves  into  a  Church.'"  And  are  not  the  Baptists  in 
this  country,  on  their  own  confession,  now  destitute  of  any 
kind  of  valid  baptism.'  We  have  never  yet  seen  a  satisfac- 
tory answer  to  this  question.  It  was  brought  forward  in  the 
Banner  of  the  Cross,  April  1,  1843,  but  those  to  whom  it  was 
addressed  seemed  not  to  be  anxious  to  have  any  inquiry  into 
their  origin  in  this  country,  or  to  reply  to  the  demand — "  By 
what  authority  docst  thou  these  things .'  and  who  gave  thee 

® ® 


® — ■ ■ ® 

256  THE  church's  view 

when  the  memory  of  their  Lord's  instructions  was 
still  fresh  on  the  earth ;  or  we  may  turn  aside  from 
the  old  paths,  to  embrace  every  novelty  which  courts 
our  notice.  We  may  repose  on  the  wisdom  and  ex- 
ample of  the  many  generations  which  have  gone  be- 
fore us  ;  or  we  may  unsettle  our  faith  by  yielding  to 
the  varied  teaching  of  those,  whose  creed  arose  when 
the  human  intellect  was  let  loose  from  its  old  re- 
straints, and  in  the  first  moments  of  its  delirium, 
scarcely  knew  what  to  believe. 

The  next  point  to  be  considered  is — the  benefit  to 
be  derived  from  Baptism.  We  hear  the  question 
often  asked — "What  use  is  it  to  the  infant?"  I  an- 
swer— "  Much  every  way."  In  the  Catechism  of  the 
Church  it  is  defined  to  be,  "  an  outward  and  visible 
sign  of  an  inward  and  spiritual  grace  given  unto  us." 
We  have  already  seen  in  what  lofty  terms  the  Primi- 
tive writers  always  refer  to  it,  and  how  St.  Augustine 
speaks  of  the  Spirit  which  then  rests  upon  the  heart 

this  authority  ?"  The  Missouri  Baptist,  however,  with  more 
candor  than  its  associates,  thus  apologizes  for  the  manner  in 
which  these  unhaptized  laymen  mutually  dipped  each  other — 
"  Under  other  circumstances  they  loould  gladly  have  availed 
themselves  of  a  regular  administrator  of  the  ordinance  ;  but 
situated  as  they  were,  ....  they  naturally  and  2cisely  con- 
cludedthat  He  who  requireth  this  service  will  not  annex  con- 
ditions incompatible  with  their  obedience,  and,  of  course,  will 
accept  of  their  right  intention  in  the  performance."  May  not 
this  presumption  be  met  with  the  question  addressed  by  Jeho- 
vah to  some  of  old — "  Who  hath  required  this  at  your  hand,  to 
tread  my  courts.'"     (See  the  Banner  of  the  Cross,  April  22.) 

» '■ ® 


(i) (S) 

OF    INFANT    BAPTISM.  257 

of  the  unconscious  infant,  as  "  a  spark  which  will 
kindle  as  he  grows  in  years."  And  this  is  in  strict 
accordance  with  the  view  given  in  Scripture,  where 
it  is  mentioned  in  direct  connection  with  the  influ- 
ences of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Thus  our  Lord  speaks  of  a 
person  as  being  "  baptized  with  water  and  the  Spirit." 
One  of  the  Fathers  of  our  Church — Bishop  Seabury 
— therefore  thus  sums  up  this  point — "  As  to  the 
benefits  of  Baptism,  they  are  remission  of  sins,  regen- 
eration or  adoption  into  the  family  of  God,  the  pres- 
ence of  the  Holy  Spirit,  the  resurrection  of  the  body, 
and  everlasting  life.  That  these  benefits  are  annexed 
to  baptism,  the  Holy  Scriptures  give  ample  testimony. 
'  Repent' — said  Peter  to  the  multitude  inquiring  what 
they  should  do — '  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you, 
in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  the  remission  of 
sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.' 
In  the  same  language  Ananias  addresses  Saul — '  And 
now,  why  tarriest  thou  ?  Arise,  and  be  baptized,  and 
wash  away  thy  sins.'  That  we  are  regenerate  and 
born,  or  adopted  into  the  family  or  Church  of  God 
by  Baptism,  Christ  declared  to  Nicodemus  when  he 
said — '  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  except  a  man 
be  born  of  water,  and  of  the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter 
into  the  Kingdom  of  God.'  The  Kingdom  of  God  is 
the  Church  of  God — the  same  Church  both  in  this 
world  and  the  next,  (for  God  has  but  one  Church, 
the  body  of  Christ.)  By  Baptism  we  are  made  mem- 
bers of  this  Church ;  and  if  we  continue  faithful 
members  till  death,  shall  in  it  obtain  a  happy  resur- 


®- 


-® 


® ■ — ® 

258  THE  church's  view 

rection,  and  everlasting  life — shall  continue  members 
of  it  to  all  eternity." 

Therefore  it  is,  that  in  our  service  Ave  use  petitions 
like  these,  before  the  Baptism — "  We  beseech  Thee, 
for  Thine  infinite  mercy,  that  Thou  wilt  mercifully 
look  upon  this  child  :  wash  him,  and  sanctify  him 
with  the  Holy  Ghost" — "  We  call  upon  Thee  for 
this  infant,  that  he,  coming  to  Thy  holy  baptism,  may 
receive  remission  of  sin  by  spiritual  regeneration" — 
"  Give  Thy  Holy  Spirit  to  this  infant,  that  he  may 
be  born  again,  and  be  made  an  heir  of  everlasting 
salvation" — "  Sanctify  this  water  to  the  mystical 
washing  away  of  sin,  and  grant  that  this  child,  now 
to  be  baptized  therein,  may  receive  the  fulness  of 
Thy  grace."  And  after  the  rite  is  administered,  we 
say — "  We  yield  Thee  hearty  thanks,  most  merciful 
Father,  that  it  hath  pleased  Thee  to  regenerate  this 
infant  with  Thy  Holy  Spirit,  to  receive  him  for 
Thine  own  child  by  adoption,  and  to  incorporate 
him  into  Thy  holy  Church."  Such  is  the  plain  and 
unequivocal  teaching  of  the  Church,  as  displayed  in 
her  formularies.  And  unless  this  truth  is  allowed, 
that  the  Spirit  is  given  in  Baptism,  that  rite  becomes 
nothing  but  a  mere  empty  ceremony. 

Now  look  for  a  moment  at  the  two  most  common 
objections  to  this  view.  The  first  is — "  that  infants 
cannot  receive  the  influences  of  the  Spirit  at  so  ten- 
der an  age."  But  who  can  pretend  thus  accurately 
to  draw  the  line,  or  to  assert  at  what  period  it  first 
becomes  possible  for  the  image  of  God  to  be  stamped 

® ® 


® ® 

OF    INFANT    BAPTISM.  259 

upon  an  immortal  soul  ?  Who  can  declare  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  Father  of  spirits  acts  upon  our 
spirits,  or  the  rules  by  which  lie  is  guided  ?  We  are 
told  that  John  the  Baptist  was  "filled  with  the  Holy 
Ghost,  even  from  his  mother's  womb  ;"  why  then  is 
not  an  infant  as  capable  of  receiving  spiritual  bless- 
ings now,  as  it  was  eighteen  centuries  ago? 

The  other  objection  is — "  that  the  child,  as  it  ad- 
vances in  years,  often  gives  no  evidence  of  these 
spiritual  influences."  We  reply — that  this  is  no 
proof  that  grace  was  not  imparted  to  it  in  Baptism. 
May  it  not  be  given  at  that  time,  but  when  not  sub- 
sequently nourished  by  the  proper  means,  become 
as  it  were  dormant,  and  even  be  quenched  ?  Baptism 
is  the  child's  spiritual  birth  into  the  Church  of  Christ, 
but  unless,  through  the  unceasing  care  of  parents,  it 
is  nurtured  and  trained  up  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  it 
may  soon  impair  and  weaken  the  benefit  to  be  derived 
from  this  introduction  into  the  fold.  It  is  precisely 
so  in  the  natural  world.  The  fact  that  the  child  is 
born  into  it,  is  no  proof  that  it  shall  certainly  live 
and  grow.  If  neglected,  and  the  proper  means  are 
not  used  to  increase  its  strength,  it  assuredly  will  die. 
And  in  the  same  way  the  spiritual  life  which  it  gain- 
ed at  baptism,  may,  by  neglect  and  the  commission  of 
sin,  soon  decay,  until,  as  its  faculties  unfold,  it  be- 
comes more  and  more  of  the  earth,  earthly.  Yet  for 
all  this,  who  can  gainsay  the  truth,  that  Baptism  is  a 
high  and  holy  privilege  ?  If  it  place  benefits  within 
the  reach  of  those  who  receive  it,  and  impart  to  the 

® ® 


®- 


260  THE  church's  view 

soul  the  first  principles  of  vital,  spiritual  life,  have 
we  not  reason  to  rejoice  that  God  thus  permits  us  to 
dedicate  our  children  to  Him  1  We  believe,  there- 
fore, there  is  as  much  truth  as  beauty  in  the  passage 
in  which  one  of  the  religious  poets  of  England  des- 
cribes this  touching  rite — 

"In  due  time 
A  day  of  solemn  ceremonial  comes ; 
When  they,  who  for  this  minor  hold  in  trust 
Rights  that  transcend  the  highest  heritage 
Of  mere  humanity,  present  their  charge 
At  the  baptismal  font.     And  when  the  pure 
And  consecrating  element  hath  cleansed 
The  original  stain,  the  child  is  there  received 
Into  the  second  ark,  Christ's  Church,  with  trust 
That  he,  from  wrath  redeemed,  therein  shall  float 
Over  the  billows  of  this  troublesome  world 
To  the  fair  land  of  everlasting  life."'' 

The  third  point  in  connection  with  this  subject, 
which  I  would  bring  before  you,  is — the  manner  in 
which  this  rite  should  be  administered.  The  Church 
regards  as  a  lawful  mode  of  Baptism,  either  Immer- 
sion— Affusion,  or  pouring — and  Aspersion,  or  sprink- 
ling. In  each  of  these  ways  she  declares  it  to  be 
equally  valid.  If  therefore  the  consciences  of  any  of 
her  members  are  scrupulous  on  this  point,  her  minis- 
ters can  administer  this  sacrament  in  the  way  they 
may  select.  The  Church  has  decided  that  the  7nan- 
ner  is  indifferent,  for  three  reasons. 

The  first  is,  because  the  word  Baptizo  [^umi^w) 

k  Wordsworth's  Excursion,  Book  V. 
® — — (s) 


OF    INFANT    BAPTISM.  2G1 

which  we  translate  baptize,  and  which  our  Lord  used 
when  he  gave  the  command — "  Go,  teach  all  nations, 
baptizing  (/JaTrr/sorrfc)  them" — does  not,  necessarily, 
mean  to  immerse.  On  the  contrary,  in  many  cases, 
to  translate  it  in  this  way  would  entirely  destroy  its 
meaning.  The  same  is  true  with  regard  to  Bapto, 
(iSuTTTb))   from  which  it  its  derived.'     We   will  give 

1  As  it  is  agreed  on  all  liands,  that  the  native  Greeks  are 
the  best  authority  for  the  meaning  of  their  own  language,  we 
shall  refer  the  question  to  them.  We  give  therefore  the  defi- 
nitions of  these  words,  only  from  the  native  Greek  Lexicog- 
raphers. 

The  oldest  native  Greek  Lexicographer  is  Hesychius, 
who  lived  in  the  fourth  century  of  the  Christian  Era.  He 
gives  only  the  root  Bapto;  and  the  only  meaning  he  gives 
the  word  is  antleo,  "  to  draw  or  pump  water."  Next  in  order 
comes  SuiDAS,  a  native  Greek,  who  wrote  in  the  tenth  cen- 
tury. He  gives  only  the  derivative,  Baptizo,  and  defines  it 
by  pluno,  "  to  wash."  Passing  over  the  intermediate  Greek 
Lexicographers,  we  come  down  to  the  present  century,  at 
the  beginning  of  which,  we  find  Gases,  a  learned  Greek, 
who  with  great  labor  and  pains  compiled  a  large  and  valu- 
able Lexicon  of  the  ancient  Greek  language.  His  book,  in 
three  volumes  quarto,  is  a  work  deservedly  held  in  high  esti- 
mation by  all,  and  is  generally  used  by  native  Greeks.  The 
following  are  his  definitions  of  Bapto,  and  Baptizo. 
Bapto.         Brecho,  to  wet,  moisten,  bedew. 

Pluno,  to  icash,  (viz.,  clothes.) 

Gemizo,  to  fill. 

Buthizo,  to  dip. 

Antleo,  to  draio,  to  pump  ivater. 
Baptizo.    Brecho,  to  icet,  moisten,  bedew. 

Pluno,  to  wash. 

11* 

® — ^ 


® — — ® 

262  THE  church's  view 

a  single  example  of  this  result  with  each  of  these 
words. 

In  the  Septuagint — the  Greek  translation  of  the 
Old  Testament — Daniel  iv.  30,  in  the  description  of 
the  judgment  which  fell  upon  Nebuchadnezzar,  when 
he  was  "  driven  forth  from  the  abodes  of  men,  and 
did  eat  grass  as  oxen,"  it  is  stated  that  "  his  body  was 
wet  (i^i^qv)  with  the  dew  of  Heaven."  Here  the 
word  certainly  means  nothing  but  to  icet,  or  to  moist- 
en. And  we  would  ask,  which  sounds  most  in  ac- 
cordance with  common  sense,  to  say — "  his  body 
was  sprinkled  with  the  dew  of  Heaven" — or,  "  his 
body  was  immersed  with  the  dew  of  Heaven  ?" 

Again — in  the  New  Testament,  John  the  Baptist 
predicting  the  coming  of  our  Lord,  says — "  He  shall 
baptize  (^ajniasi)  you  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with 
fire."  Now,  translate  this — "  He  shall  immerse  you 
with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire" — and  we  at  once 
perceive  the  absurdity.  But  the  prophet  Joel,  when 
referring  to  this  same  event,  (as  St.  Peter  declares, 
"  this  is  that  which  was  spoken  by  the  prophet  Joel," 
Acts  ii  16,)  says — "  I  will  pour  out  my  Spirit  upon 
all  flesh."  This  prophecy,  therefore,  was  first  fulfilled 
on  the   day   of  Pentecost,    when    the   Holy   Ghost 

Leuo,  to  icash,  to  bathe. 

Antleo,  to  draw,  to  pump  water. 
These  are  the  definitions  of  a  native  Greek,  and  are  en- 
titled to  the  highest  deference,  both  for  his  learning,  and  his 
ecclesiastical    connections.         Chapins    Primitite    Church, 
p.  43,  44. 

® ® 


® ® 

I 

OF    INFANT    BAPTISM,  263 

descended  and  rested  on  the  Apostles,  and  afterwards 
when  it  was  given  to  tlie  Gentiles  also ;  and  we  are 
told — "they  of  the  circumcision  were  astonished,  be- 
cause the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  was  jjoured  out  upon 
the  Gentiles  also."  This  is  the  only  direct  reference 
in  the  New  Testament  to  the  mode  in  which  baptism 
of  any  kind  was  performed,  and  it  certainly  argues 
nothing  in  favor  of  immersion.'" 

A  second  reason  for  this  decision  of  the  Church 
is — because  it  is  not  in  accordance  with  our  Lord's 
custom,  to  enjoin  upon  His  disciples  any  duty  or  rite 
which  cannot  be  universally  put  in  practice.  Were 
immersion,  therefore,  absolutely  necessary,  you  per- 
ceive that  in  some  situations  and  climates,  it  would  be 
impossible  to  receive  it.  Suppose,  for  instance,  that 
a  person  should  be  lying  on  a  bed  of  sickness,  with 
life  waning  away,  yet  feeling  the  earnest  desire  before 
death  comes,  to  be  admitted  into  the  Church  of 
Christ.  That  privilege  must,  in  this  case,  be  denied 
him.  He  must  die  an  alien  from  the  fold,  if  we  be- 
lieve that  our  Lord  has  appointed  but  one  form  in 
which  the  Sacrament   of  Baptism  is  valid.     But  all 

m  It  is  of  course  impossible  in  this  brief  lecture  to  enter 
into  any  particular  discussion  of  tlie  moaning  of  these  terms. 
The  reader  will  find,  liowever,in  Chwpin  s  Primitive  Church, 
a  critical  examination  of  all  the  places  both  in  the  Old  and 
New  Testaments,  in  which  the  words  Bapto  and  Baptizo  are 
used,  (p.  44 — 52.)  The  result  is,  that  out  of  ticenty-threc 
cases  in  which  Bapto  occurs,  it  has  the  sense  of  immersion 
but  tioice  ;  and  that  in  seventy  places  where  Baptizo  \s  found, 
there  is  not  one  where  it  means  to  immerse. 

® ® 


® ® 

264  THE  church's  view 

His  commands,  on  the  contrary,  bear  the  stamp  of 
universality.  The  Holy  Communion  of  His  body 
and  blood  can  be  administered  in  all  climates,  and  to 
any  one,  however  enfeebled  by  sickness,  and  so  we 
believe  can  baptism.  Our  Lord  never  directs  any 
thing  which  it  would  be  impossible  to  obey. 

The  third  reason  is — because  affusion  and  sprink- 
ling have  been  both  practiced  and  recognized  as  valid 
in  all  ages  of  the  Church.  It  is  not  probable,  that 
John  the  Baptist,  when  "there  went  out  to  him 
Jerusalem,  and  all  Judea,  and  all  the  region  round 
about  Jordan,  and  were  baptized  of  him  in  Jordan," 
administered  this  rite  by  immersion,  for  time  would 
scarcely  have  been  found,  to  allow  so  slow  a  process 
to  be  so  often  repeated  to  these  multitudes.  Many, 
too,  must  have  come  there  unprovided  with  proper 
garments  for  this  purpose.  And  these  same  objections 
will  apply  against  immersion  being  the  form  used  in 
any  of  those  cases,  in  which,  under  the  preaching  of 
the  Apostles,  large  numbers  at  once  submitted  to  the 
faith.  Rivers  and  lakes  could  not  always  have  been 
at  hand,  nor  a  sufficiency  of  water  have  been  easily 
obtained." 

n  "After  the  preaching  of  St.  Peter,  it  is  stated  that  3000 
were  baptized,  and  that  these  were  added  to  the  Church  in 
one  day.  Now  the  immersion  of  3000  persons  in  so  short  a 
time,  carries  with  it  so  great  an  air  of  improbability,  that  we 
must  be  excused,  if  we  suspect  that  some  more  rapid  mode 
was  adopted  for  their  baptism.  Reflect  upon  this  one  mo- 
ment : — Peter's  sermon  began  ('as  we  are  told)  after  the 
third  hour  of  the  day ;  that  is,  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

® 


® ® 

OF    INFAi\T    BAPTISM.  265 

The  probability  seems  to  be  tliat  all  three  methods 
were  practised  in  the  Early  Church.  In  the  hot 
countries  of  the  East,  where  men  went  lightly  clad, 
and  bathing  was  often  used,  it  was  natural  that  im- 
mersion should  frequently  be  the  manner  of  baptism. 
As,  however,  the  faith  extended  into  the  colder  cli- 
mates of  the  North  and  West,  affusion  and  sprinkling 
were  more  generally  resorted  to,  as  agreeing  better 
with  local  circumstances.  Thus  St.  Cyprian,  even 
when  he  declares  against  the  validity  of  heretical 
Baptism,  defends  that  performed  by  sprinkling.  "  For 
the  contagion  of  sin" — says  he — "  was  not  washed 

His  addresses  occupied  a  considerable  time;  for,  besides  the 
sketch  given  in  the  Acts,  it  is  said  that  '  with  many  more 
words  he  exhorted  them' — which  are  not  recorded.  Now,  it 
was  not  until  after  all  this,  that  the  Baptisms  began, — and 
the  time  remaining  to  the  evening,  could  scarcely  have  been 
more  than  eight  hours.  Dividing,  therefore,  the  3000  persons, 
there  would  be  375  to  receive  baptism  in  each  of  those  eight 
hours — a  number  so  great  that  it  is  ditlicult  to  imagine  how 
they  could  possibly  have  been  immersed. 

"  But  again  ;  in  the  case  of  the  jailer  at  Philippi,  we 
have  an  instance  of  a  whole  family,  suddenly  baptized,  and 
this,  too,  at  midnight.  The  whole  matter  was  transacted  in 
a  very  limited  time,  and  we  cannot,  without  violence,  bring 
ourselves  to  believe  in  the  reality  of  such  a  thing,  as  the 
instant  arousing  from  slumber  of  a  whole  family,  ana  the 
immediate  plunging  of  them  in  the  cold  element  of  baptism  ; 
to  say  nothing  of  the  improbability  of  there  being  on  the 
spot,  and  at  the  time,  a  sufficiency  of  pure  water,  and  suita- 
ble vessels  to  meet  the  emergency."  Staunton's  Church 
Dictionary,  Art.  "Immersion." 


® -fcr^ 


i 


(S) — ® 

266  THE  church's  view 

away  as  the  filth  of  the  body  is,  by  a  carnal  and 
secular  washing.  There  was  no  need  of  a  lake  or 
other  such  like  helps  to  wash  and  cleanse  it."  And 
he  proves  the  lawfulness  of  aspersion  from  Ezekiel 
xxxvi.  25 — "  I  will  sprinkle  clean  water  upon  you, 
and  ye  shall  be  clean.""  The  manner  was  conformed 
to  the  climate,  and  the  situation  of  the  recipient. 

The  mistake  in  all  this  matter  is,  that  men  have 
not  distinguished  what  is  essential  from  what  is  non- 
essential. The  essentials  in  baptism  are — the  proper 
person  to  administer  it — the  use  of  water — and  the 
name  of  the  Trinity  in  which  it  is  applied."  Other 
things  may  be  regulated  by  circumstances.  The  case 
is  precisely  the  same  with  the  Eucharist.  This,  at 
its  first  institution  by  our  Lord,  was  administered  in 
a  very  different  way  from  what  it  now  is  ;  but  we  have 
discriminated,  and  retained  what  is  essential.  And 
why  not  do  so  with  Baptism  ?  To  make  the  mode  of 
Baptism  the  distinctive  feature  of  a  sect,  is  as  reason- 
able as  it  would  be,  now  to  form  a  new  party  in  the 
Christian  world,  to  be  called  "  the  Communionists," 
who  should  sever  themselves  from  the  Catholic  Church 
on  the  ground,  that  the  Communion  is  not  administered 
in  a  valid  manner,  unless  received  precisely  as  it  was 
by  the  Apostles   of  our  Lord,   reclining  on   couches 

o   Epist.  76. 

p  "  It  cannot  appear  tliat  the  child  was  baptized  witli 
water,  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  (which  arc  essential  parts  of  baptism)."  Rubric 
at  the  end  of  Form  for  private  baptism  of  children. 

® ® 


^ @ 

OF    INFANT    BAPTISM.  267 

around  a  table,  and  in  an  upper  chamber.  The  fact 
that  the  whole  Christian  Church  for  eighteen  cen- 
turies had  believed  differently,  would,  in  this  age  of 
new  discoveries,  be  a  matter  of  no  importance. 

There  is,  however,  a  much  more  summary  way  of 
disposing  of  the  question.  Suppose  we  were  to  allow, 
that  in  the  early  Church  in  the  East,  immersion  was 
always  used,  does  it  prove  that  the  Church  is  now 
bound  to  continue  it  ?  Certainly  not.  There  is 
nothing  in  this  manner  essential  to  the  existence  of 
the  Sacrament.  This  is  merely  a  practice,  resting 
on  no  express  command,  and  involving  no  doctrine 
or  point  of  faith.  The  only  difference  about  the 
manner  is,  whether  this  or  one  of  the  other  two  Avays 
is  most  significant  of  spiritual  purification.  It  is  one 
of  those  things  which  the  Church  has  a  right  to  alter 
and  adopt  to  the  changing  circumstances  of  the  world. 
And  the  Church  general  has  long  since  adopted 
aspersion  as  the  mode  of  baptism.  A  striking  in- 
stance of  this  same  power  of  altering  the  manner  in 
which  rites  are  administered,  is  furnished  by  the 
history  of  the  Passover.  The  Jews,  at  first,  by  the 
express  command  of  God,  were  to  receive  this, 
"  with  their  loins  girded,  their  shoes  on  their  feet, 
and  their  staff  in  their  hand,"  as  those  who  eat  in 
haste.  But  when  settled  in  their  own  land,  they 
seem  to  have  totally  changed  the  mode — to  have 
added  many  new  rites  to  it — aad  to  have  partaken  of 
it,   reclining  on  couches.      Yet  our  Lord  sanctioned 

® ® 


® ® 

268  THE   church's  view 

this  by  His  example.  And  has  not  the  Christian 
Church  this  same  power  ? 

Such  is  precisely  the  view  given  by  Bishop  Bur- 
net, when  discussing  Art.  XX.,  "  The  Church  hath 
power  to  decree  rites  or  ceremonies."  He  even  gives 
this  very  case  of  Baptism,  as  one  of  his  illustrations. 
His  words  are — "In  matters  that  are  merely  ritual, 
the  state  of  mankind  in  different  climates  and  ages  is 
apt  to  vary  :  and  the  same  thing  that  in  one  scene  of 
human  nature  may  look  grave,  and  seem  fit  for  any 
society,  may  in  another  age  look  light,  and  dissipate 
men's  thoughts.  It  is  also  evident  there  is  not  a  sys- 
tem of  rules  given  in  the  New  Testament  about  all 
these  :  and  yet  a  due  method  in  them  is  necessary  to 
maintain  the  order  and  decency  that  become  divine 
things.  This  seems  to  be  a  part  of  the  Gospel  liberty, 
that  it  is  not  a '  law  of  ordinances  ;'  these  things  being 
left  to  be  varied  according  to  the  diversities  of  man- 
kind  Though  a  kiss  of  peace,  and  an  order 

of  deaconesses,  were  the  practices  of  the  Apostolical 
time  ;  yet  when  the  one  gave  occasion  to  raillery  and 
the  other  to  scandal,  all  the  world  was,  and  still  is, 
satisfied  with  the  reasons  of  letting  both  fall."  After 
speaking  of  the  changes  made  by  the  Jewish  Church 
in  their  rites,  he  says — "  Jf  then  such  a  liberty  was 
allowed  in  so  limited  a  religion,  it  seems  highly  suita- 
ble to  the  sublimer  state  of  Christian  liberty,  that 
there  should  be  rooaa  left  for  such  appointments  or 
alterations  as  the  different  state  of  times  and  places 
should  require.     In  hotter   countries,   for  instance, 

®— ■ ■ ® 


® ® 

OF    INFANT    BAPTISM.  2G9 

there  is  no  danger  in  dipping  ;  but  if  it  is  otherwise 
in  colder  climates,  then,  since  '  mercy  is  better  than 
even  sacrifice,'  a  more  sparing  use  may  be  made  of 
water  ;  aspersion  may  answer  the  true  end  of  baptism." 
It  is  of  course  to  be  observed,  that  these  changes  can 
only  be  made  in  things  merely  ritual,  and  by  the 
authority  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

The  last  point  which  we  would  briefly  bring  for- 
ward is — the  place  in  which  the  Sacrament  of  Bap- 
tism should  be  administered.  This  is  declared  by  our 
regulations  to  be  in  the  Church.  The  Rubric  states 
that  "  the  Godfathers  and  Godmothers,  and  the  peo- 
ple with  the  children,  must  be  ready  at  the  font, 
either  immediately  after  the  last  lesson  at  Morning 
Prayer,  or  else  immediately  after  the  last  lesson  at 
Evening  Prayer,  as  the  minister  at  his  discretion, 
shall  appoint."  And  the  minister  is  also  enjoined,  to 
warn  the  people,  "  that  without  great  cause  and 
necessity,  they  procure  not  their  children  to  be  bap- 
tized at  home  in  their  houses." 

And  this  surely  is  right — that  here  at  the  Font, 
in  the  house  of  God,  these  solemn  vows  should  be 
made,  which  devote  your  children  to  the  Lord.  Thus 
is  it  shown,  that  we  are  all  one  body,  united  by  a 
common  tie  when  we  enter  our  Muster's  temple — 
that  here  at  least,  before  His  altar,  all  worldly  distinc- 
tions are  unknown.  "  If  baptisms  always  took  place 
on  Sundays  or  holydays,  and  in  the  public  service, 
and  at  every  poor  child's  baptism  the  rich  did  not  sit 
in  their  pews,  as  if  it  did  not  concern  them  and  were 

® ^ 


®__ o 

270  THE  church's  view 

a  weariness,  but  rose,  and  knelt,  and  joined  in  the 
service  with  readiness  and  fervency  ;  experience  in 
certain  places  has  shown  that  a  good  feeling  has  been 
generated  among  the  poor,  far  beyond  what  seemed 
likely  from  such  a  trifle ;  and  of  course  a  more  right 
feeling  would  be  produced  among  the  rich,  who  in 
such  cases  are  far  more  deficient  in  it  than  the  poor."'' 
The  severity  of  the  climate,  however,  sickness, 
or  other  causes  which  cannot  be  enumerated,  may 
often  furnish  that  "  great  cause  and  necessity"  which 
will  justify  the  minister  in  performing  this  service  in 
private.  Yet,  in  such  cases,  you  will  perceive  at  once 
that  it  should  be  private.  The  administration  of  this 
solemn  Sacrament  is  surely  not  a  time  for  gathering 
together  your  worldly  friends,  and  giving  loose  to 
festivity  and  mirth.  When  the  young  immortal  is 
signed  with  the  sign  of  the  Cross,  and  the  influences 
of  the  Spirit  are  invoked  to  uphold  it  in  its  future 
life,  is  it  the  time  or  place  for  frivolity  and  amuse- 
ment? When  solemn  words  are  spoken,  and  the 
pomps  and  vanities  of  this  sinful  earth  are  renounced, 
shall  worldliness  in  that  hour  have  gathered  there  to 
hold  its  carnival  1  Should  there  thus  be  furnished  at 
the  very  moment,  a  practical  denial  of  all  the  lips  are 
uttering?  Should  this  be  made  merely  an  excuse  for 
excitement  and  gayety?  No,  brethren,  whatever  else 
you  may  do,  at  least  bring  not  the  Sacraments  of  the 
Church  into  your  homes,  except  with  awed  and  chast- 

q  Faber's  "  Churchman's  Politics,"  p.  44. 
® ® 


® ® 

OF    INFANT    BAPTISM,  271 

ened  feelings.  The  humble  prayer  and  the  heartfelt 
petition  for  grace  to  fulfil  your  fearful  responsibilities, 
might  well  befit  a  scene  like  this — not  the  light  jest 
or  the  empty  laugh.  Remember,  with  whom  you  are 
dealing  in  that  rite — that  He  is  not  mocked — that  He 
marks  the  feelings  with  which  you  kneel  before  Him 
— and  that  this  service  concerns  the  eternal  well-being 
of  a  young  spirit,  which  is  thus  setting  out  for  im- 
mortal life. 

We  have  thus,  my  brethren,  endeavored  to  bring 
before  you  in  the  narrow  limits  of  this  single  Lecture, 
a  subject  which  might  well  fill  a  volume.  You  will 
perceive,  however,  even  from  these  brief  observations, 
the  spiritual  force  of  the  question — "Is  it  well  with 
the  child  1"  If  it  be  still  uncleansed  by  the  waters  of 
baptism,  I  tell  you,  it  is  not  well  with  it.  It  is  an 
"  alien  from  the  commonwealth  of  Israel,"  and  a 
stranger  to  the  Christian  Church.  Are  you  willing 
that  thus  it  should  remain  ?  Shall  that  being  around 
whom  your  fondest  affections  are  clustering,  be  sent 
forth  into  a  stormy  and  sinful  world,  without  being 
fortified  by  the  aid  of  God's  Spirit — feeling  as  if  no 
obligation  was  resting  on  him — and  cut  off  from  all 
union  with  that  holy  fellowship,  which  comprehends 
the  just  on  earth  and  the  angels  in  Heaven  ?  Are 
you  willing,  that  through  i/ou?-  remissness  that  link 
should  be  wanting  which  binds  him  to  the  throne  of 
the  Eternal?  Who  can  tell  the  momentous  results 
which  may  ensue  from  his  being  thus  debarred  ? 
Separated  from  the  nursing  care  of  the  Church  whose 

® _____  ® 


® ® 

272    THE  church's  view  of  infant  baptism. 

object  is,  to  have  her  children  first  in  infancy  brought 
within  her  fold — then  in  maturer  years  confirmed  in 
this  grace — and  thus  by  regular  steps  advanced  to 
partake  of  the  communion  of  their  Lord's  death — he 
may  feel  himself  enabled  to  live  without  restraint  or 
care  for  these  things.  Thus,  the  world  claims  him  as 
its  own,  and  the  claim  is  allowed.  He  yields  to 
temptation — resigns  himself  to  its  embrace — lives  in 
sin,  and  dies  without  hope.  And  when  at  length  he 
has  risen  from  his  lowly  grave,  only  to  find  himself  a 
partaker  in  "  the  resurrection  of  damnation,"  and  you 
and  he  meet  once  more  before  the  last,  dread  tribunal, 
as  you  stand  up  to  receive  your  sentence,  perchance 
from  the  ranks  of  the  lost  there  may  start  forth  one, 
whom  in  speechless  dismay  you  recognize  as  him 
whom  you  have  nurtured  on  earth ;  and  as  he  points 
to  you,  the  author  of  his  being,  his  familiar  tones 
thrill  in  your  ear,  when  he  shrieks  forth  to  the  Judge 
— "  This,  this,  O  Lord,  is  he,  through  whose  remiss- 
ness I  must  inherit  the  horrors  of  the  second  death. 
Through  his  neglect  it  happened,  that  I  was  not 
numbered  with  Thy  Church,  or  baptized  with  Thy 
Spirit,  ere  the  cares  of  life  gathered  around  me,  and 
now,  I  am  a  castaway — undone  forever." 


® — ® 


® — — ® 


THE  MORAL  TRAINING  OF  THE  CHURCH. 


I  love  the  Church — the  Holy  Church, 

'I'hal  o'er  our  life  presides. 
The  Birth,  the  Bridul,  and  the  Grave, 

And  many  an  Iiour  hesides  ! 
Be  mine,  through  life,  to  live  in  her, 

And  when  the  Lord  shall  call, 
To  die  in  her — the  Spouse  of  Christ, 

The  Mother  of  us  all. 

Rev.  A.  C.  Coze. 


® ■ —  ® 


®- 


® 


V  V        V 

VII. 

THE  MORAL  TRAINING-  OF  THE  CHURCH. 


Our  faith  appeals  to  the  heart  as  much  as  to  the 
intellect.  Its  object  is,  not  to  inculcate  a  set  of  ab- 
stract truths,  but  to  render  us  "  meet  to  be  partakers 
of  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light."  Among 
the  changes  and  trials  of  this  lower  world,  we  are  to 
exercise  our  hope  and  patience — the  grace  of  God 
being  our  strength — the  prizes  of  eternity,  the  re- 
wards to  which  we  look  forward.  Thus,  as  this  life 
wears  away,  we  shall  feel  that  in  our  spiritual  warfare 
we  are  going  on  from  "  conquering  to  conquer" — mas- 
tering the  evil  of  our  nature — and,  by  self-denial  and 
self-discipline,  fitting  ourselves  hereafter  to  mingle 
with  the  children  of  immortality.  Each  year  Avill  wit- 
ness some  new  advance  in  the  divine  life — some  new  ac- 
quisition in  holiness,  until,  as  our  sun  declines  towards 
the  West,  we  can  calmly  watch  its  setting,  being 
confident  that  the  night  of  death  which  gathers  around 
us,  shall  soon  give  place  to  a  glorious  awakening. 

It  is  to  produce  this  result  that  the  whole  system 


-® 


® ® 

276  THE    MORAL    TRAINING 

of  the  Church  is  intended.  She  would  educate  the 
soul  for  Eternity.  She  is  indeed  the  Churchman's 
guide  through  life — at  once  his  instructor  and  his 
own  familiar  friend,  who  meets  him,  at  every  change 
and  turn,  with  words  of  warning  and  of  comfort,  and 
thus  systematically  and  unceasingly  exerts  her  influ- 
ence to  prepare  him  for  that  rest  which  awaits  the 
just  in  the  Paradise  of  God.  This  then  is  the  moral 
TRAINING  OF  THE  Church,  with  regard  to  which  I 
would  this  evening  address  you.  I  wish  to  show, 
that  no  emergency  can  happen  to  us  in  this  world, 
for  which  the  Church  has  not  provided — no  possible 
condition  of  life,  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave,  which 
she  has  not  anticipated,  or  where  she  is  found  want- 
ing in  her  power  to  convey  spiritual  aid.  Thus  it  is, 
that  we  are  enabled  to  attain  that  privilege,  for  which 
the  kingly  Poet  of  Israel  longed — "  to  dwell  in  the 
houge  of  the  Lord  all  the  days  of  our  life,  to  behold 
theV  beauty  of  the  Lord,  and  to  inquire  in  his  tem- 
ple.'" 

Let  us  begin  then  with  the  infant,  whose  reason 
and  senses  are  just  unfolding  to  a  perception  of  the 
world  it  has  entered,  and  what  course  does  the  Church 
pursue?  Does  she  disregard  or  scorn  that  feeble 
being,  as  it  passes  through  the  months  of  wailing  in- 
fancy and  the  years  of  helpless  childhood  ?  Does  she 
repel  it  from  her  fold,  telling  it  to  live  on,  "  an  alien 
from  the  commonwealth  of  Israel,  and  a  stranger  from 
he  covenants  of  promise,"  until  the  fresh  dew  of  life 
I  s  gone,  and  the  beauty  of  its  early  years  departed  ? 

« ® 


® ® 

OF    THE    CHURCH.  277 

Does  she  refuse  to  notice  that  young  immortal,  until 
in  maturer  years  it  can  apply  for  admission  at  her 
gates,  coming  fresh  from  the  world  as  a  heathen 
would  do,  who  had  not  till  then  heard  the  news  of 
redeeming  love?  Does  she  proclaim,  that  by  nature 
that  being,  about  whom  your  warmest  affections  are 
gathered,  is  born  in  sin,  yet  without  offering  any 
remedy  to  blot  out  the  stain  ?  Such  is  by  no  means 
the  Church's  want  of  care  for  little  children.  She 
claims  them  even  from  their  birth,  and  gathers  them 
at  once  into  her  fold,  that  from  the  first  the  promises 
of  the  Gospel  may  be  pledged  to  them,  and  they  share 
in  those  rich  blessings  which  are  offered  to  her  mem- 
bers. 

The  first  Rubric  in  our  Prayer  Book  which  relates 
to  the  infant,  is  one  for  the  guidance  of  the  minister  of 
the  Parish,  directing  him  "  often  to  admonish  the  peo- 
ple, that  they  defer  not  the  baptism  of  their  children  .  . 
.  .  .  unless  upon  a  great  and  reasonable  cause."  As  the 
children  of  the  Israelites  at  eight  days  old  were  made 
members  of  the  Jewish  Church,  and  thus  entitled  to 
the  covenant  promises  which  God  had  made  to  the 
nation,  so  are  your  children  by  baptism  to  be  received 
into  the  fold  of  the  Christian  Church.  When,  there- 
fore, the  child  is  presented  before  the  altar,  the  appeal 
is  made  to  those  present — "  I  beseech  you  to  call 
upon  God  the  Father,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
that  of  His  bounteous  mercy,  He  will  grant  to  this 
child  that  which  by  nature  he  cannot  have  ;  that  he 
may  be  baptized  with  water  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  and 

13 

® ® 


® _ ® 

278  THE    MORAL    TRAINING 

received  into  Christ's  Holy  Church,  and  be  made  a 
living  member  of  the  same." 

And  this  is  done.  The  water  is  poured  forth — 
the  sign  of  the  Cross^  is  impressed  upon  the  forehead 

a  Among  the  rRfinemcnts  of  modern  wisdom  is  a  dread  of 
the  Sign  of  the  Cross.  Are  we  ashamed  of  it .'  Have  we 
forgotten  the  example  of  St.  Paul,  and  ceased  to  "glory  in 
the  cross  of  Jesus  Christ.'"  Such  was  not  by  any  means  the 
view  of  the  Primitive  Christians.  Tertullian,  in  the  second 
century  testifies,  that  on  all  occasions  they  used  this  sign. 
{Deo  Coron.  Mil  it.  c.  iii.)  It  was  made  upon  those  persons 
who  were  admitted  as  Catechumens,  (Bing.  Orig.  Eccles.  lib. 
X.  c.  i.  sec.  3.,  and  c.  ii.  sec.  8,)  and  signed  upon  tlieir  fore- 
heads at  the  time  of  baptism.  (Palmer's  Orig.  Lit.  v.  ii.  p. 
190.)  Thus  they  would  manifest — St.  Augustine  says — "  that 
so  far  are  tliey  from  blushing  at  the  Cross,  they  do  not  con- 
ceal this  instrument  of  redemption,  but  carry  it  on  their 
brows."     (hi  Psalm  cxli.) 

It  was  this  spirit  which  induced  our  forefathers  everywhere 
to  set  up  the  sign  of  the  Cross — in  their  Churches — tlieir 
houses — by  the  way-side — and  at  the  fountain — that  as  the 
weary  traveller  stopped  to  drink,  he  might  have  before  him 
the  emblem  of  the  Crucified.  There  may  sometimes  have 
been  superstition  mingled  with  this,  but  was  not  even  super- 
stition better  than  the  refined  indifference  of  our  day  .'  In  a 
treatise  on  the  Ten  Commandments,  entitled  "  Dives  et  Pau- 
per," and  printed  at  Westminster  by  Wynken  de  Worde,  A. 
D.  1496,  the  real  and  pious  object  of  erecting  the  Cross  by  the 
road-side  is  thus  expressively  assigned — "  For  tliis  reason  ben 
Crosses  by  ye  waye,that  whan  folke  passynge  see  the  Cross- 
es, they  sholdc  thynke  on  Hym  that  deyed  on  ye  Crosse,  and 
worsliyppe  Hym  above  all  thynge." 

But  we  are  told,  "  it  is  Popish."  Are  we  then  to  give  up 
every  Primitive  practice   which  the  Romish   Church  has  re- 

® ■ ® 


® ® 

OF    THE    CHURCH.  279 

of  that  unconscious  being,  "  in  token  tliat  hereafter 
he  shall  not  be  ashamed  to  confess  the  faith  of  Christ 

tained  ?  If  so,  we  shall  soon  bo  worse  off  than  our  dissent- 
ing brethren.  The  Church  of  England  in  one  of  her  canons 
thus  vindicates  her  retention  of  this  sign — 

"  Following  the  steps  of  our  most  worthy  King,  because 
he  therein  followeth  the  rules  of  the  Scripture,  and  the  prac- 
tice of  the  Primitive  Church,  we  do  commend  to  all  true  mem- 
bers of  the  Church  of  England  these  our  directions  and 
observations  ensuing  :  the  honor  and  dignity  of  the  name  of 
the  Cross  begat  a  reverend  estimation  even  in  the  Apostles' 
time,  (for  aught  that  is  known  to  the  contrary,)  of  the  sign  of 
the  Cross,  which  the  Christians  shortly  after  used  in  all  their 
actions.  The  use  of  this  sign  in  Baptism  xcas  held  by  the 
Primitive  Church,  as  well  by  the  Greeks  as  the  Latins,  with 
one  consent  and  great  applause.  This  continual  and  general 
use  of  the  sign  of  the  Cross  is  evident  by  the  testimonies  of 
the  ancient  fathers. 

"  It  must  be  confessed,  that  in  process  of  time,  the  sign  of 
the  Cross  was  greatly  abused  in  the  Church  of  Rome.     But 

THE    ABUSE  OF   A  THING  DOES  NOT    TAKE  AWAY  THE  LAWFUL 

USE  OF  IT.  Nay,  so  far  was  it  from  the  purpose  of  the  Church 
of  England  to  forsake  and  reject  the  Churches  of  Italy, 
France,  Spain,  Germany,  or  any  such  like  Churches  in  all 
things  which  they  held  and  practised,  that,  as  the  Apology 
of  the  Church  of  England  confesseth,  it  doth  with  reverence 
retain  those  ceremonies  which  do  neither  endamage  the 
Church  of  God,  nor  offend  the  minds  of  sober  men  ;  and  only 
departeth  from  them  in  those  particular  points,  wherein  they 
were  fallen  both  from  themselves  in  their  ancient  integrity, 
and  from  the  Jipostolical  Ch^irches  which  2ccre  their  first 
founders. 

"  The  sign  of  the  Cross  in  Baptism  being  thus  purged 
from  all  Popish  superstitions  and  error,   and  reduced   in    the 

® — ® 


® ® 

280  THE    MORAL    TRAINING 

crucified,  and  manfully  to  fight  under  His  banner, 
against  sin,  the  world,  and  the  devil  ;  and  to  continue 
Christ's  faithful  soldier  and  servant  unto  his  life's 
end."  Thus  he  becomes  a  member  of  the  visible 
Church.  Her  responsibilities  are  resting  on  him — 
her  blessings  belong  to  him. 

"A  few  cahn  words  of  faith  and  prayer, 

A  few  bright  drops  of  holy  dew, 
Have  worked  a  wonder  there 

Earth's  charmers  never  knew. 
For  tliere  the  holy  Cross  was  sign'd. 

And  the  young  soldier  duly  sworn. 
With  true  and  fearless  mind. 

To  serve  the  Virgin-born."'' 

The  Church  in  this  way  offers  to  take  your  chil- 
dren, and  by  her  spiritual  influences  to  educate  them 
for  the  Lord.     While  you  wouhi  be   compelled  to 

Church  of  England  to  the  primary  institution  of  it,  upon  those 
rules  of  doctrine  concerning  things  indifferent,  which  are 
consonant  to  the  word  of  God,  and  the  judgments  of  all  the 
ancient  fathers,  we  hold  it  the  part  of  every  private  man, 
both  minister  and  other,  reverently  to  retain  the  true  use  of 
it  prescribed  by  public  authority."      Canon  xxx. 

Let  us  then  continue  to  glory  in  the  Cross.  Let  it  be  ele- 
vated on  our  Churches,  to  show  a  heedless  world  the  object 
of  those  consecrated  buildings.  Surely,  this  emblem  of  our 
common  faith — glittering  in  the  sunshine,  and  immovable 
in  the  storm — is  more  appropriate  on  our  pinnacles  and  spires, 
than  the  light  vane,  turning  to  every  point  of  the  compass, 
as  if  to  teach,  that  the  minds  of  those  who  worship  below  are 
"carried  about  with  every  wind  of  doctrine." 

b  Keble's  Christian  Year. 

® ® 


® _ (8) 

OF    THE    CHURCH.  281 

send  them  out  to  encounter  the  snares  of  a  sinful 
world,  unaided  by  Divine  Grace,  she  steps  forward, 
and  like  Pharaoh's  daughter,  rescues  them  from  this 
death,  adopts  them  for  her  own,  and  then  gives  them 
back  to  you,  to  nurse  for  her  sake.  Thus  it  is  that 
she  obeys  that  injunction  of  her  Lord,  when  He  said 
— "  Suffer  the  little  children  to  come  unto  me,  and 
forbid  them  not ;  for  of  such  is  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven."  And  when  he  declared  again — "  Whoso- 
ever shall  receive  one  such  little  child  in  my  name,  re- 
ceiveth  me."  She  knows,  that  He  not  only  gives  great 
encouragement,  but  also  promises  a  reward  to  those 
who  thus  dedicate  their  children  to  Him.  She  knows, 
too,  that  this  solemn  sacrament  is  not  merely  an  out- 
ward form,  but  also  "  a  visible  sign  of  an  inward  and 
spiritual  grace,  given  unto  us."  Therefore  it  is,  that 
in  Scripture  when  Baptism  by  water  is  mentioned, 
the  influences  of  the  Holy  Ghost  are  so  often  connect- 
ed w'ith  it."  She  trusts,  then,  that  Divine  Grace 
does  descend  upon  that  young  candidate  for  immor- 
tality— that  the  germs  of  holiness  are  implanted  there 
— which  may  afterwards,  as  the  faculties  expand,  and 
life  goes  on,  be  cherished  into  confirmed  godliness. 
Thus  she  commences  life  with  the  children  commit- 
ted to  her  care."* 

c  Matt.  iii.  11,  John  iii.  5,  Eph.  v.  26,  Titus  iii.  4 — 7, 
1  Pet.  iii.  21,  1  John  v.  6—8. 

d  "  In  ancient  times  men  had  Holy  Baptism  continually  in 
their  thoughts.  They  could  scarcely  speak  or  write  on  any 
religious  subject  without  the  discourse  turning  on  Baptism  at 

® ® 


® . 

282  THE    MORAL    TRAINING 

Now  look  at  the  second  step.  The  Church  still 
keeps  her  hold  upon  that  child,  and,  as  its  reason 
strengthens,  has  provided  her  Catechism  with  which 
its  training  is  to  be  commenced.  She  does  not  send 
it  forth  to  feed  in  "  strange  pastures,"  or  to  attempt, 

last.  Children  were  educated  simply  as  baptized  children. 
They  were  taught  that  things  were  right  or  wrong  in  propor- 
tion as  they  affected  the  Baptismal  vow.  Sins  were  consid- 
ered more  or  less  heinous  as  they  were  supposed  to  stain 
Baptismal  purity.  Baptism  was  to  them  all  in  all ;  because 
it  was  there  they  found  the  Cross  of  Christ  set  up."  Faher 
on  "  The  Prayer  Book  a  Safeguard,"  p.  8. 

"  Christian  education  is  the  education  of  a  baptized  soul. 
Now  it  is  not  too  much  to  say,  that  there  are  very  few  of  us 
who  give  this  prominence  to  Baptism  in  the  education  of  our 
children.  The  little  ones  tell  us,  that  they  icere  made  in 
their  Baptism  '  members  of  Christ,  children  of  God,  and  in- 
heritors of  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  ;'  and  moreover  they 
'  heartily  thank  God  their  Heavenly  Father,  that  he  hath 
called  them  to  this  state  of  salvation.'  Yet  we  educate  them 
as  if  we  did  not  believe  a  word  of  all  this.  Alas  !  many 
among  us  do  not  believe  it.  We  bring  them  up  as  if  they 
were  one  day  to  be  Christians,  not  as  if  they  were  so  al- 
ready  The  Church,  when  she  educates  her  chil- 
dren in  the  Catechism,  is  ever  teaching  them  to  look  hack. 
We,  on  the  contrary,  arc  ahcays  making  them  look  forward. 
She  gives  them  great  thoughts,  and  tries  to  make  them  care- 
ful, jealous,  and  obedient,  because  they  are  Christians.  We 
educate  their  minds,  and  inform  them  with  high  principles  of 
action,  because  they  may  be  Christians,  and  ought  to  be 
Christians.  In  a  word,  with  the  Church,  Baptism  is  a  gift 
and  a  power  :  with  us  it  is  a  theory  and  a  notion."  Faher  on 
"  The  Catechism,'"  p.  13. 

® ■ ^ ® 


(5) ___ . . . ® 

OF    THE    CHURCH.  283 

in  the  high-ways  and  by-ways  of  this  busy  world,  to 
gather  that  knowledge  which  can  make  it  wise  unto 
salvation.  She  furnishes  it  with  aliment  for  the  in- 
tellect as  well  as  for  the  heart.  As  it  was  enjoined 
upon  the  Sponsors  at  the  time  of  baptism,  that  "  the 
infant  be  taught,  as  soon  as  he  shall  be  able  to  learn, 
what  a  solemn  vow,  promise,  and  profession,  he  hath 
made  by  them,"  so  the  Church  provides  the  means  at 
an  Ccirly  day  of  beginning  this  work.  He  is  to  be 
"  instructed  in  the  Church  Catechism  set  forth  for 
that  purpose." 

And  how  admirable  is  every  portion  of  this  little 
formulary !  While  so  short,  that  the  young  child 
can  commit  it  to  memory,  and  so  simple,  that  its 
meaning  can  be  easily  explained  and  learned,  it  is  at 
the  same  time  so  comprehensive  an  outline  of  reli- 
gion, that  it  familiarizes  the  mind  with  all  its  cardinal 
truths.  Neither  is  there  any  thing  dim  or  vague  in 
the  instruction  which  it  imparts.  All  is  plain  and 
practical.  The  opening  questions  naturally  lead  the 
child  to  speak  of  its  baptism — the  privileges  and  obli- 
gations of  which  are  accordingly  explained.  Then 
follow,  the  Articles  of  the  Creed  which  it  is  required 
to  believe — the  Ten  Commandments,  which  are  laid 
down  as  its  rule  of  life  towards  God  and  its  neigh- 
bor— and  the  necessity  of  grace  from  on  high  having 
been  inculcated,  that  prayer  is  added,  which  our 
Lord  Himself  gave  His  followers  to  use.  The  whole 
then  concludes  with  a  brief  exposition  of  the  nature 
of  the    two    Sacraments — Baptism    and    the    Lord's 

® ^ 


® ® 

284  THE    MORAL    TRAINING 

Supper — the  benefits  to  be  derived  from  them,  and 
the  requisites  necessary  for  their  proper  reception. 

Tell  me,  then,  where  in  so  small  a  compass  can 
you  find  so  admirable  a  view  of  the  doctrines  of  our 
faith  1  While  the  doubts  and  questionings  of  contro- 
versy are  shunned,  every  thing  is  inculcated  which  is 
necessary  to  inform  the  mind  or  regulate  the  life  by 
the  rules  of  holiness.  In  this  respect,  therefore,  the 
Church  has  done  her  part ;  and  were  parents  and 
sponsors  but  faithful  to  their  trust,  the  children  of  the 
fold  would  go  forth  into  the  world,  instructed  in  the 
truth,  armed  against  error,  and  prepared  to  repel  the 
insidious  suggestions  of  those  who  would  seduce  them 
from  the  right  way."" 

Nor  let  the  oft-repeated  objection  be  heeded,  that 
the  doctrines  of  our  faith  are  above  the  comprehen- 
sion of  the  young  child.  We  believe  there  are  none 
taught  in  our  Catechism,  of  which  a  careful  explana- 
tion will  not  enable  the  learner  to  gain  some  percep- 
tion, even  if  he  do  not  fully  grasp  the  meaning.  And 
what  more  than  this,  do  we  "  children  of  a  larger 
growth,"  even  in  the  maturity  of  our  reason,  under- 

e  "  What  may  be  the  cause  why  so  much  cloth  so  soon 
changcth  color  ?  It  is  because  it  was  never  viret  wadded, 
which  giveth  the  fixation  to  a  color,  and  setteth  it  in  the 
cloth. 

"  What  may  be  the  reason  wliy  so  many,  now-a-days,  are 
carried  about  with  every  wind  of  doctrine,  even  to  scour 
every  point  in  the  compass  round  about  ?  Surely  it  is  be- 
cause they  were  never  well  catechised  in  the  principles  of 
religion." — Thomas  Fuller. 

(S) — ® 


® ■ ® 

OF    THE    CHURCH.  285 

stand  of  many  of  the  divine  mysteries  1  The  deep 
things  of  God  seem  to  float  dimly  before  our  eyes — 
"  we  see  through  a  glass,  darkly  " — and  are  obliged 
to  wait,  until  in  another  state  of  being,  with  our 
faculties  expanded,  we  "  shall  know,  even  as  also  we 
are  known."  Thus  also  is  it  with  the  child,  and  pre- 
cisely on  this  principle  do  we  store  its  mind  with 
many  branches  of  human  learning  which  at  present 
it  cannot  understand.  We  know  that  these  truths 
will  be  laid  up  in  its  memory,  and  as  the  intellectual 
powers  are  developed,  their  meaning  will  gradually 
dawn  upon  it.  Beautifully  and  effectually,  indeed, 
has  a  living  Christian  poet  answered  this  objection — 

"Oh  say  not,  dream  not,  heavenly  notes 

To  childish  ears  are  vain. 
That  tlie  young  mind  at  random  floats, 

And  cannot  reach  the  strain. 
Dim  or  unheard,  the  words  may  fall, 

And  yet  the  lieavon-taught  mind 
May  learn  the  sacred  air,  and  all 

Tiie  harmony  unwind."^ 

Now  look  at  the  third  step  in  this  moral  training. 
The  solemn  obligations  resting  on  parents  having  been 
discharged,  and  the  child  been  trained  up  from  in- 
fancy "  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord," 

f  KehlbS  Christian  Year.  Tlic  reader  will  find  the  sub- 
ject of  Catechising  nowhere  more  fully  and  admirably  dis- 
cussed, than  in  Bishop  Doane's  Charge  to  the  Convention  of 
New  Jersey,  in  1836,  entitled  "  The  Cliurch's  Care  for  Little 
Children." 

13* 
® ■ ® 


286  THE    MORAL    TRAINING 

the  Church  calls  upon  him  again,  when  he  has  ar- 
rived at  years  of  discretion.  She  supposes,  that  the 
grace  of  God  has  been  ripened  and  matured  iji  his 
heart,  and  that  he  is  now  prepared,  openly  before  the 
world,  to  confess  himself  a  disciple  of  the  Crucified 
Son  of  God.  This  is  done  in  Confirmation,  when  he 
publicly  takes  his  Baptismal  vows  upon  himself;  and 
therefore  the  Church  directs,  that  at  this  period  of 
life — ^just  when  he  is  in  the  freshness  of  his  youth, 
and  before  he  has  entered  on  the  busy,  active  world 
— he  shall  be  thus  farther  armed  against  temptation. 
He  returns  then  to  the  chancel,  where  he  has  once 
been  admitted  by  Baptism  into  the  Church,  and  stand- 
ing up  before  the  altar,  the  Bishop  addresses  to  him 
the  question — "  Do  you  here,  in  the  presence  of  God, 
and  of  this  congregation,  renew  the  solemn  promise 
and  vow  that  ye  made,  or  that  was  made  in  your 
name,  at  your  Baptism ;  ratifying  and  confirming  the 
same ;  and  acknowledging  yourself  bound  to  be- 
lieve and  to  do  all  those  things  which  ye  then  under- 
took, or  your  sponsors  then  undertook  for  you  ?"  To 
this  the  candidate  "  audibly  answers,  /  do."  And 
then,  after  the  united  prayers  of  all  have  commended 
him  to  God,  the  Bishop  lays  his  hands  upon  his  head, 
while  kneeling  before  him,  with  the  appropriate  peti- 
tion— "  Defend,  O  Lord,  this  Thy  servant  with  Thy 
Heavenly  grace  ;  that  he  may  continue  thine  forever, 
and  daily  increase  in  Thy  Holy  Spirit  more  and 
more,  until  he  come  unto  Thy  everlasting  kingdom." 
How  solemn  then   is  all    this   service !      Who   can 

® ■ ® 


® (S) 

OF    THE    CHURCH.  287 

unite  in  it,  without  having  first  determined  most  fully 
to  devote  himself  to  the  service  of  God,  or  vi^ithout 
having  every  holy  resolution  quickened  and  strength- 
ened within  him !' 

Thus  it  is  that  we  have  traced  the  young  member 
of  the  Church,  from  his  early  infancy,  until  he  stands 
upon  the  verge  of  manhood,  and  is  prepared  to  go 
forth  and  take  his  part  in  its  engrossing  cares.  You 
have  seen  how  the  Church  watched  over  him,  and 
gathered  her  restraints  about  his  steps,  training  him 
up  until  the  hour  when  he  publicly  professed  himself 
one  with  the  faithful.  Now  see  her  future  care,  and 
what,  as  life  goes  on,  she  has  provided  to  strengthen 
him  against  the  encroachments  of  worldliness. 

g  "  At  that  moment  the  question  was  asked,  '  Do  ye  here' 
— tlie  Bishop  began — '  in  the  presence  of  God  and  this  con- 
gregation, renew  the  solemn  promise  and  vow  made  in  your 
names  at  your  baptism  ?'  I  had  separated  myself  from  the 
company  of  candidates,  and  stood  a  little  apart,  looking  at 
them.  'Do  they' — I  thought — 'here,  where  the  dead  in 
Christ  are  lying  to  rest  around  them  ;  where  the  eye  of  God 
is  in  an  especial  manner  upon  them;  where  their  ministers 
are  watching  as  those  who  must  give  account,  and  anxious 
friends  are  looking  on  even  with  prayers  and  tears — Do  they 
come  Zicre  with  true  hearts,  or  dare  they  here  to  trifle.''  O 
let  them  turn  back  now  !  I  almost  said,  let  them  not  lie 
unto  God  !  or  rather,  here,  as  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross,  let 
them  accept  the  off(>red  mercy  of  Him  who  waiteth  to  be 
gracious  '  Of  all  tlic  thoughts  that  come  into  one's  mind  in 
looking  on  that  lovely  congregation,  the  saddest  was  the 
dread  that  some  there,  perhaps,  tiiough  charity  hoped  better 
things  of  all,  had  come  carelessly,  as  to  an  unmeaning  cere- 
mony."    Scenes  in  our  Parish,  p.  198. 

® — ® 


® ® 

288  THE    MORAL    TRAINING 

Our  thoughts  naturally  turn  at  once  to  the  Holy 
Communion.  Of  this  he  is  now  invited  to  partake, 
if  he  can  do  so  humbly,  reverently,  and  with  the  wish 
to  lead  a  godly  life.  The  emblems  of  his  Master's 
broken  body  and  shed  blood  are  placed  before  him, 
and  from  this  Sacrament  he  can  gather  strength  for 
his  future  course.  Solemn  indeed  are  the  reflections 
which  in  these  moments  must  crowd  upon  his  mind, 
wafting  his  thoughts  away  from  this  lower  world  ! 
"  With  angels,  and  archangels,  and  with  all  the  com- 
pany of  heaven,  he  lauds  and  magnifies  God's  glorious 
name,"  and  thus  is  forced  to  realize,  that  there  is 
indeed  such  a  bond  as  "  the  Communion  of  saints," 
uniting  in  one  fellowship  the  faithful  in  Christ  Jesus, 
whether  they  have  entered  into  the  Paradise  of  rest, 
or  are  still  toiling  on  in  the  wilderness.  And  this 
spiritual  feast  is  provided  so  frequently,  that  its  holy 
influence  cannot  wear  out  by  the  continual  contact 
into  which  he  is  forced  with  the  things  which  are  ap- 
pealing to  his  outward  senses.  Each  month  he  is 
called  to  partake  of  it,  that  worldliness  may  have  no 
time  to  gather  over  his  soul — the  affections  become 
alienated  from  his  God — or  the  solemn  scenes  of 
Calvary  be  strange  and  unaccustomed  to  his  thoughts. 
Thus  it  is  that  the  Church  provides  for  man's  "  spir- 
itual food  and  sustenance  in  that  Holy  Sacrament, 
which  is  so  divine  and  comfortable  a  thing  to  them 
who  receive  it  worthily.'"" 

h     In  the  exhortation  we  say — "  He  hath  given  His  Son 
our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  not  only  to  die  for  us,  but  also  to  be 

(S) — '■ — ® 


@ 

OF    THE    CHURCH.  289 

Then  again,  we  have  her  constant  round  of  ser- 
vices.    These  are  regulated  by  no  fitful  devotion,  but 

our  spiritual  food  and  sustenance  in  tliat  Holy  Sacrament." 
Tins  then  is  the  doctrine  of  our  Church,  that  "the  body  of 
Christ  is  given,  taken,  and  eaten  in  the  supper,  only  after  a, 
heavenly  and  spiritual  manner.  And  the  mean  whereby  the 
body  of  Christ  is  received  and  eaten  in  the  Supper,  is  faith." 
(Jrt.  XXVIII.)  The  church  holds  therefore  the  doctrine  of 
the  real  presence  of  Christ  in  the  Eucharist,  but  not  the  doc- 
trine of  His  material  presence.  She  teaches  that  the  change 
wrought  in  the  Elements,  by  their  consecration,  is  simply  a 
spiritual  one.  Mr.  G.  S.  Faber,  in  his  '■'■  Difficulties  of  Romun- 
ism,"  in  speaking  on  tliis  subject,  uses  the  term  "  moral 
change.^'  P.  44. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  church  ofRome  contends,  that  by 
the  consecration  the  bread  and  wine  are  changed  in  their 
essential  qualities,  so  that  they  cease  to  be  bread  and  wine, 
but  become  strictly  and  literally  tlic  material  and  suhstantial 
body  and  Mood  of  Christ.  This  is  their  doctrine  of  Transub- 
stantiation. 

That  the  doctrine  of  a  spiritual  change  was  that  of  the 
early  church,  is  evident  from  the  illustrations  they  use  to  ex- 
plain this  subject.  For  example,  Gregory  of  Nyssa  says — 
"  This  altar,  before  which  we  stand,  is  physically  mere  com- 
mon stone,  differing  notliing  from  the  stones  with  which  our 
houses  arc  built :  but,  after  it  has  been  consecrated  by  bene- 
diction to  the  service  of  God,  it  becomes  a  holy  table,  a  sanc- 
tified altar.  In  a  similar  manner,  the  eucharistic  bread  is 
originally  mere  common  bread  ;  but  when  it  has  been  conse- 
crated in  the  holy  mystery,  it  becomes,  and  is  called,  the 
body  of  Christ.  The  same  power  of  consecration  likewise 
imprints  a  new  and  honorable  character  upon  a  priest,  when 
i)y  a  new  benediction  he  is  separated  from  the  laity.  For  he, 
who  was  previously  nothing   more   than  a  common   man,  is 

^ gj 


® ® 

290  THE    MORAL    TRAINING 

keep  steadily  in  view  the  great  principle  of  instruct- 
ing her  children  in  the  doctrines  of  Christianity,  and 
gradually  building  them  up  in  a  knowledge  of  the 
faith.  Look  at  her  Sunday  services,  how  they  go 
through    the    whole    circle    of  religious    truth,    and 

suddenly  transformed  into  a  teacher  of  religion,  and  into  a 
steward  of  the  holy  mysteries.  Yet  this  great  mutation  is 
effected  without  any  change  in  his  bodily  form  and  appear- 
ance. Externally,  he  is  the  same  that  he  already  wasj  but, 
internally,  by  an  invisible  and  gracious  operation,  a  mighty 
change  is  effected  in  his  soul."  {De  Baptism,  oper.  v.  iii.  p. 
369.)  In  these  cases  of  the  altar  and  the  priest,  Gregory  can 
of  course  refer  to  no  physical  change. 

The  rise  of  this  error  of  transubstantiation  was  natural. 
The  early  fathers  evinced  an  extreme  anxiety  to  avoid  any  mode 
of  speech  which  might  lower  the  dignity  of  this  Sacrament  in 
the  estimation  of  the  people.  They  therefore  often  resorted 
to  a  fervid  and  poetical  style  of  address  dictated  by  the  glow- 
ing imagination  of  the  Greeks  or  Asiatics,  which  identified 
the  hallowed  elements  with  the  sacrifice  they  represented. 
"Thus,"  says  Le  Bas,"  the  impassioned  eloquence  of  the 
preachers  grew  imperceptibly  into  the  doctrine  of  the 
Church."  {Life  of  Wiclif,  p.  253.)  To  this  language  of  rhet- 
oric the  Romish  writers  now  appeal,  as  if  it  had  been  uttered 
with  didactic  caution.  And  yet,  in  all  the  early  fathers 
there  is  no  expression  stronger  than  that  contained  in  one  of 
our  own  hymns — 

"  Hail,  sacred  feast  which  Jesus  makes  ! 
Rich  banquet  of  his  flesh  and  blood!" 

Would  it  be  logical  a  thousand  years  hence,  to  point  to 
this  line  as  proof,  that  our  church  in  the  19th  century  be- 
lieved in  a  physical  change  .''  Yet  such  is  the  Romish  argu- 
ment from  the  early  fathers. 

® ■■ —  ® 


® ® 

OF    THE    CHURCH.  291 

bring  constantly  before  our  eyes,  the  eventful  life  of 
our  Lord,  and  the  doctrines  He  came  to  unfold.  We 
begin  at  Advent,  by  looking  forward  in  anticipation 
of  His  coming,  until  at  Christmas,  "  with  cheerful 
hymns  and  garlands  sweet,"  we  celebrate  His  nativity. 
Then,  one  prominent  action  after  another  of  His 
earthly  pilgrimage  passes  in  review,  until  in  the  sea- 
son of  Lent  we  commemorate  His  bitter  sufferings — 
His  Passion — and  death.  But  Good  Friday  goes  by 
— the  darkness  which  had  gathered  about  the  tomb 
is  dispelled  by  "  the  vernal  light  of  Easter  morn," 
and  we  enter  the  house  of  God  to  listen  to  the  story 
of  our  Master's  joyful  Resurrection.  Forty  days 
afterwards  we  celebrate  the  Festival  of  the  Ascen- 
sion— then,  at  Whitsunday,  the  Pentecostal  coming 
of  the  Holy  Ghost — and  then,  on  Trinity  Sunday,  we 
are  called  to  remember  that  solemn  mystery  of  the 
Three  in  One,  about  which  men  indeed  can  profane- 
ly argue,  but  on  which  angels  meditate  with  an  aw- 
ful reverence.  "  But  as  hitherto  we  have  celebrated 
His  great  works,  so  henceforth  we  magnify  Himself 
For  twenty-five  weeks  we  represent  in  figure  what  is 
to  be  hereafter.  We  enter  into  our  rest,  by  entering 
in  with  Him  who,  having  wrought  and  suffered,  has 
opened  the  kingdom  of  Heaven  to  all  believers.  For 
half  a  year  we  stand  still,  as  if  occupied  solely  in 
adoring  Him,  and  with  the  Seraphim  crying,  '  Holy, 
Holy,  Holy,'  continually.'"  Now,  who  can  go  through 

i  Newman's  Sermons,  Vol.  VI.  p.  400. 
®- — -® 


© (s) 

292  THE    MORAL    TRAINING 

this  round  of  instruction,  and  thoughtfully  contem- 
plate all  these  solemn  truths,  without  being  deeply 
impressed  by  the  realities  of  our  religion? 

Look,  too,  at  the  Church's  plan  of  daily  services, 
as  laid  down  in  her  Calendar.  She  has  so  divided  up 
the  Word  of  God,  that  the  Psalms  can  be  read  over 
once  in  each  month,  and  during  the  course  of  each 
year,  in  her  lessons,  she  goes  once  through  the  Old 
Testament,  and  three  times  through  the  New,  except 
the  Book  of  the  Revelation  of  St.  John.  And  at  the 
same  time,  at  intervals  come  the  Saints'  Days,  when 
we  are  called  to  commemorate  each  of  the  Apostles 
in  succession,  and  others  of  the  holy  dead  who  have 
passed  away  to  glory.  Thus  we  are  shown,  that  to 
serve  God  truly,  and  to  shine  like  lights  in  the  world, 
we  must  follow  in  the  steps  of  these  His  favored  ser- 
vants, and  devote  our  hearts  and  lives  to  His  worship 
and  service.  We  are  taught,  to  live  for  a  time  with 
the  dead — to  be  joined  to  them,  as  it  were,  in  a 
mysterious  love,  realizing  that  though  the  earthly  eye 
cannot  see  them,  yet  they  are  "  not  far  from  every 
one  of  us,"  living  in  a  nobler  existence  than  they 
ever  enjoyed  on  earth.  And  even  when  the  Church 
does  not  puhlicly  celebrate  this  daily  service,  her 
members  have  still  the  Prayer-Book  in  their  hands,  to 
lead  their  thoughts  aright,  and  to  direct  them  each 
day  to  the  same  portions  of  the  Word  of  God,  that 
they  may  thus  with  one  mind  follow  the  Church  in 
the  lessons  she  prescribes,  and  be  ever  advancing  in 
religious  knowledge.     She  has  both  her  Festivals  of 

® — ■ ® 


® ® 

or  THE   CHURCH.  293 

holy  joy,  when  they  are  called  to  exult  in  the  rich 
promises  which  are  made  them,  and  again  her  weekly 
and  yearly  Fasts,  when  they  are  directed  to  chasten 
their  spirits,  and  bring  their  bodies  into  subjection, 
that  the  earthly  and  sin-born  nature  may  not  war 
against  that  influence  in  the  heart,  which  is  ever 
striving  to  lead  them  nearer  to  their  God.' 

In  this  way  it  is  that,  year  after  year,  through  a 
lifetime,  the  Church  appeals  both  to  the  intellect  and 
the  heart.  She  instructs  her  children  through  the 
mind  and  the  affections.  She  uses  devotion  as  the  in- 
strument ;  by  her  holy  prayers  elevating  their  thoughts 
above  this  passing  world — sanctifying  their  hearts — 
and,  by  teaching  them  to  conquer  themselves,  render- 
ing them  children  of  the  light  and  of  the  day.  They 
must  acquire  the  habit  of  prayer — not  that  irregular, 

j  The  following  is  the  Church's  table. of  Fasts,  as  given 
in  the  Prayer-Book  immediately  after  the  Calendar. 

A  TABLE  OF  FASTS. 

ASII-WEDNESDAY.  GOOD-FRIDAY. 

Other  daijs  of  Fasting ;  on  which  the  Church  requires  such  a 
measure  of  Jlbstiiience,  as  is  more  especially  suited  to  extra- 
ordinary Jlcts  and  Exercises  of  Devotion. 

1st.  The  Forty  days  of  Lent. 

2d.  The  Enibcr-Days  at  the  Four  Seasons,  being  the 
Wednesday,  Friday,  and  Saturday  after  the  first  Sunday  in 
Lent,  the  Feast  of  Pentecost,  September  14,  and  December  13. 

3d.  The  Three  Rogation  Days,  being  tlie  Monday,  Tues- 
day, and  Wednesday  before  Holy  Thursday,  or  the  Ascen- 
sion of  our  Lord. 

4th    All  the  Fridays  in  the  Year,  cxcejrt  Christmas-day. 

®- ® 


® ___ — ® 

294  THE    MORAL    TRAINING 

varying  devotion  which  burns  around  us — at  one  time 
apparently  kindled  to  an  angel's  fervor,  and  at  another, 
utterly  dead  and  cold — but  the  flame  which  shines 
on  steadily,  unaffected  by  the  dampness  of  this  earth, 
and  crrowincr  brighter  and  brighter  to  the  end.  "  As 
our  Lord  led  persons  gradually  to  the  knowledge  of 
the  truth,  by  quiet  teaching,  by  leading  them  to  ob- 
serve His  works,  by  drawing  out  their  self-denial  and 
engaging  their  confidence,  so,  in  obedience  to  His 
command  '  to  make  disciples  of  all  nations,'  the 
system  of  the  Church  is  that  of  parental  and  pastoral 
training,  and  building  up  by  practical  instruction, 
such  as  catechising  and  the  use  of  a  constant  devo- 
tional form."  She  acts  on  this  principle — to  induce 
her  members  to  acquire  a  devotional  frame  of  mind, 
by  self-discipline  and  frequent  repetition — for  thus 
only  can  it  be  formed. 

But  besides  this  regular,  constant  training  of  the 
Church,  there  are  also  her  occasional  services,  which 
are  adapted  to  every  situation  in  which  her  children 
can  be  placed.  At  home  or  abroad — in  safety  or  in 
peril — in  peace  or  in  war — she  is  ever  at  their  side. 
Even  on  the  wild  billows  of  the  sea,  she  speaks  to 
the  storm-tossed  mariner  in  words  which  bring  to 
his  remembrance  the  quiet  Church  at  home,  and  thus 
connect  him  in  spirit  with  the  little  circle  he  has  left. 

"Thou  too  art  there,  with  thy  soft  inland  tones, 
Mother  of  our  new  birth  ; 
Tlie  lonely  ocean  learns  thy  orisons, 
And  lov^s  thy  sacred  mirth  : 

® ■ -® 


(5) ® 

OF    THE    CHURCH.  295 

When  storms  are  high,  or  vvlicn  the  fires  of  war 

Coine  lightening  round  our  course, 
Tliou  breath 'st  a  note  like  music  from  afar. 

Tempering  rude  hearts  with  calm  angelic  force."'' 

In  every  hour  of  joy,  she  is  with  the  members  of 
her  fold,  to  impart  a  cahn  and  holy  spirit  to  their 
happine.ss.  Have  mercies  been  vouchsafed  to  them  ? 
Here  are  her  prayers  of  thanksgiving,  putting  words 
into  their  mouths,  by  which  in  the  great  congregation 
they  can  pour  out  the  overflowing  gratitude  of  their 
hearts  By  her  holy  blessings  she  sanctifies  the 
marriage-tie,  divesting  it  of  its  worldliness,  and  in 
the  name  of  the  Triune  God  invokes  upon  those  who 
kneel  before  the  altar,  "  His  spiritual  benediction  and 
grace,  that  they  may  so  live  together  in  this  life,  that 
in  the  world  to  come  they  may  have  life  everlasting." 
Thus  she  follows  the  leadings  of  Scripture,  where  St. 
Paul  declares  this  state  to  be  "  honorable  in  all," 
and  even  exalts  it  as  a  solemn  mystery,  to  be  an  image 
of  the  union  between  Christ  and  His  Church.' 

Neither  is  it  for  the  sunshine  of  life  only,  that  the 
Church    has   provided  her   services.     Knowing  that 

k    Keblc's  Christian  Year. 

1  Is  it  not  in  accordance  with  the  spirit  of  the  present 
day,  to  deprive  this  tie  of  its  religious  character,  and  to 
regard  marriage  as  a  mere  civil  contract.'  Widely  different 
from  this  has  always  been  the  feeling  of  those  who  have  im- 
bibed the  old,  Catholic  Spirit  of  the  Church.  Tertullian,  in 
the  second  century  asks — "  How  shall  I  siifTiciently  declare 
the  Iiappiness  of  that  marriage  which  the  Church  makes,  the 
oblation  confirms.,  and  the  benediction  seals?"     (Jid   Uxor  em, 

® 


® ® 

296  THE    MORAL    TRAINING 

here  we  are  "  born  unto  trouble,  as  the  sparks  fly 
upward,"  and  that  God  most  often  purifies  us  by  the 
furnace  of  affliction,  she  is  ready  also  to  "  weep 
with  them  that  weep."  An  Apostle  says — "  Is  any 
among  you  afflicted  ?  let  him  pray."  And  in  obeying 
this  injunction,  where  can  we  find  petitions  more 
suitable  than  she  sets  forth — so  simple,  yet  so  touch- 
ing ?  "  O  merciful  God,  aiid  Heavenly  Father,  who 
hast  taught  us,  in  Thy  Holy  Word,  that  Thou  dost 
not  willingly  afflict  or  grieve  the  children  of  men ; 
look  down  with  pity,  we  beseech  Thee,  upon  the 
sorrows  of  Thy  servant,  for  whom  our  prayers  are 
desired.  In  Thy  wisdom.  Thou  hast  seen  fit  to  visit 
him  with  trouble,  and  to  bring  distress  upon  him. 
Remember  him,  O  Lord,  in  mercy ;  sanctify  Thy 
fatherly  correction  to  him ;  endue  his  soul  with 
patience  under  his  affliction,  and  with  resignation  to 
Thy  blessed  will ;  comfort  him  with  a  sense  of  Thy 
goodness  ;  lift  up  Thy  countenance  upon  him,  and 
give  him  peace,  through  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord." 

"  Is  any  sick  among  you?" — asks  the  same  Apos- 
tle— "  let  him  call  for  the  elders  of  the  Church,  and 
let  them  pray  over  him."  And  for  this  also  the  Church 
has  provided.     In  her  "  Visitation  of  the  Sick,"  she 

Jib.  ii.  c.  8.)  And  where  can  this  service  so  properly  be  per- 
formed as  before  the  altar  ? 

"Where  should  ye  seek  Love's  perfect  smile, 
But  where  your  prayers  were  learn'd  erewhile, 
In  her  own  native  place?" 

■      Kelle. 

® ■ ® 


® — — ■ ; ® 

OF    TBE    CHURCH.  297 

marks  out  the  course  to  be  pursued,  bringing  down 
tlie  subject  of  our  faith  to  something  tangible  and 
practical — dispelling  at  once  the  dreamy  reveries  of 
modern  days — and  fiistening  upon  those  points  in  the 
belief  of  the  mind,  and  the  conduct  of  the  life,  which 
present  the  only  true  evidences  of  preparation  for 
Heaven.  She  has  also  "  The  Communion  of  the 
Sick,"  by  which,  with  appropriate  prayers,  the  Sacra- 
ment of  the  Lord's  death  can  be  administered  to  him 
who  is  debarred  from  mingling  with  his  fellow-wor- 
shippers in  the  House  of  God,  and  in  this  way,  he  eats 
the  bread  of  life,  and  keeps  up  his  spiritual  union 
with  the  faithful.'"  And  thus  she  is  present,  to  sus- 
tain and  comfort  his  fainting  spirit,  while  days  of  suf- 
fering and  nights  of  weariness  are  appointed  him, 
ever  being  at  hand  with  her  holy  words.  Nor  does 
she  leave  him,  when  life  is  just  flickering  away.  In 
the  very  latest  moment  of  existence,  when  the  soul  is 
trembling  on  the  brink  of  eternity,  she  has  provided 
that  solemn  prayer,  by  which  her  ministers  may  com- 
mend the  departing  spirit  into  the  hands  of  its  God. 
Thus,  the  last  accents  which  fall  upon  his  ear  are  the 
touching  words — "  O  Almighty  God,  with  whom  do 
live  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect,  after  they 

m   "  A  simple  altar  by  the  bed 

For  high  Communion  meetly  spread, 
Chalice,  and  plate,  and  snowy  vest. 
We  eat  and  drank  :  then  calmly  blest, 
All  mourners,  one  icitli  dying  breath. 
We  sate  and  lalk'd  of  Jesus'  death." 

Kehle. 

® — ® 


® , ® 

298  THE    MORAL    TRAINING 

are  delivered  from  their  earthly  prisons ;  we  humbly 
commend  the  soul  of  this  Thy  servant,  our  dear 
brother,  into  Thy  hands,  as  into  the  hands  of  a  faith- 
ful Creator,  and  most  merciful  Saviour ;  most  humbly 
beseeching  Thee,  that  it  may  be  precious  in  Thy 
sight :  wash  it,  we  pray  Thee,  in  the  blood  of  that  Im- 
maculate Lamb,  that  was  slain  to  take  away  the  sins 
of  the  world  ;  that  whatsoever  defilements  it  may  have 
contracted  in  the  midst  of  this  miserable  and  naughty 
world,  through  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  or  the  wiles  of 
Satan,  being  purged  and  done  away,  it  may  be  pre- 
sented pure  and  without  spot  before  Thee."  Never, 
indeed,  in  time  of  health  and  strength,  can  the  words 
of  this  prayer  come  home  to  us  in  all  their  force.  To 
realize  their  full  solemnity,  we  must  hear  them  utter- 
ed in  the  chamber  of  the  dying,  when  the  spirit  of  the 
Christian  is  wrestling  in  its  last  conflict,  and  the 
mortal  is  just  putting  on  immortality. 

Nor  does  the  Church's  care  end  here,  even  when 
the  spirit  is  gone.  She  still  has  a  voice  to  utter  with 
regard  to  the  earthly  tabernacle  which  it  once  inhab- 
ited. She  proclaims  over  it  the  holy  promises  of  the 
Gospel,  in  the  name  of  Him  who  has  declared  Him- 
self to  be  "  the  Resurrection  and  the  Life,"  and  then 
commits  it  to  its  last  resting  place,  "  earth  to  earth, 
ashes  to  ashes,  dust  to  dust,"  pointing  forward  the 
surviving  relatives  who  have  gathered  around,  to 
"  the  general  resurrection  in  the  last  day,  and  the  life 
of  the  world  to  come,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ; 
at  whose  second  coming  in  glorious  majesty  to  judge 

® ® 


® ® 

OF    THE    CHURCH.  299 

the  world,  the  earth  and  the  sea  shall  give  up  their 
dead  ;  and  the  corruptible  bodies  of  those  who  sleep 
in  Him  shall  be  changed,  and  made  like  unto  His 
own  glorious  body  ;  according  to  the  mighty  working, 
whereby  He  is  able  to  subdue  all  things  to  Himself." 

Such  then  is  the  system  of  the  Church — that  an- 
cient and  Catholic  system,  derived  by  her  from  earlier 
and  better  days — which  she  has  kept  in  her  formula- 
ries, and  which  by  means  of  her  Prayer-Book  is  ever 
spread  out  before  her  children.  You  perceive,  then, 
that  never  for  an  instant  does  she  lose  sight  of  one 
committed  to  her  trust.  From  his  Baptism  to  his 
Burial — from  the  cradle  to  the  grave — she  is  ever  at 
his  side.  She  does  not  hazard  his  spiritual  improve- 
ment on  the  fidelity  or  changing  views  of  those,  who 
may  happen  to  minister  at  her  altars,  but  herself 
marks  out  the  plan  and  sketches  the  system  by  which 
her  members  are  to  live.  Day  after  day — month  after 
month — year  after  year — she  expects  to  go  forward, 
leading  them  ever  on  to  nobler  attainments  in  the 
divine  life,  and  as  this  world  gradually  fades  away, 
preparing  them  more  fully  for  that  which  is  to  come. 
Her  lesson  is — "  In  quietness  and  confidence  shall 
be  your  strength." 

Tell  me  then — I  again  ask — is  not  this  the  end 
which  God  intended  his  Church  should  answer,  to 
train  up  His  children  for  Heaven  1  And  is  not  this 
the  true  object  of  our  faith — by  a  constant  struggle 
with  ourselves,  and  by  inward,  spiritual  discipline — 
steadily  to  increase  the  power  of  holiness  over  our 

■ ® 


® ■       ® 

300  THE    MORAL    TRAINING 

hearts?  Or,  does  religion  consist  in  periodical  ex- 
citements— in  renouncing  for  a  time  all  dependence 
on  the  reason,  and  suffering  the  imagination  to  be 
awakened  to  a  perfect  delirium — until  we  lose  sight 
of  things  earthly  and  terrestrial  ?  Is  the  soul  to  pass 
from  spiritual  death  to  life,  by  one  spasmodic  effort, 
amid  the  whirlwind  of  excited  passions  ?  Is  an  in- 
quiring, immortal  being  to  be  taught  the  way  to 
Heaven,  by  distorted,  unnatural  appeals — by  arraying 
scenes  of  terror  before  the  eye,  until  the  mind  is  in- 
capacitated from  forming  a  calm  and  rational  deci- 
sion 1  Are  the  holiest  themes  of  our  faith — themes 
on  which  angels  can  dwell  with  the  deepest  adoration 
— to  be  bandied  about  by  ignorance  and  fanaticism, 
and  lowered  by  every  degrading  association,  until  all 
reverence  is  gqjie?  Was  it  thus  that  our  Lord  pro- 
claimed the  solemn  precepts  of  the  Gospel,  on  the 
hill-sides  of  Judea,  or  in  the  Courts  of  the  Temple  t 
No,  every  thing  with  Him  was  elevating,  lofty,  and 
impressive.  Men  might  quail  beneath  the  truths  He 
uttered,  but  the  skeptic  found  nothing  in  His  teach- 
ing from  which  he  could  gather  new  topics  for  scoff- 
ing, nor  were  the  worldly-minded  able  to  indulge  in 
ribaldry  and  laughter. 

And  in  the  same  spirit  would  the  Church  impart 
all  her  instructions.  Solemnly,  and  steadily  her 
voice  is  heard,  impressing  upon  our  hearts  the  awak- 
ening lessons  with  which  she  is  charged.  She  ap- 
peals to  you,  not  for  to-day  only — or  for  this  month — 
or  this  season — but  she  goes  on  unceasingly  through 

® ® 


® ® 

OF    THE    CHURCH.  301 

your  lifetime.  She  wishes  you  deeply  to  realize  the 
truth,  that  religion  is  not  a  thing  for  particular  times 
and  places,  but  a  holy  influence  which  is  to  be  ex- 
erted over  every  part  of  our  existence,  here  and  here- 
after. Therefore  it  is,  that  "  she  takes  to  herself  al- 
most every  common  action  of  our  lives,  and  makes  it 
her  own  by  giving  it  a  religious  turn,  a  Church 
meaning.  She  keeps  meddling  with  us  in  every 
stage  of  our  lives.  She  comes  among  us  in  our  Bap- 
tism, Education,  Confirmation,  Marriage,  Sickness, 
and  Death.  She  calls  upon  us  to  consecrate  our 
worldly  goods,  by  yielding  a  portion  up  to  her.  She 
bids  us  make  our  time  minister  to  Eternity,  by  call- 
ing us  away  from  a  worldly  use  of  it  on  her  Sundays 
and  Saints'  days.  She  makes  us  put  a  limit  even 
upon  our  natural  appetites,  that  she  may  teach  us, 
through  her  Fasts,  obedience  and  self-denial,  and 
bountiful  giving  of  alms.  Thus  she  strives  to  inter- 
weave herself  with  our  most  secret  and  common 
thoughts,  our  every-day  actions,  our  domestic  griefs 
and  joys.  She  would  put  something  spiritual  into 
them  all.  She  is  diligent,  unwearying,  ungrudging 
as  her  Master,  always  going  about  doing  good."" 

Is  not  this  system,  then,  one  most  beautiful  in  all 
its  parts,  and  proving  what  care  the  Church  has  taken 
of  our  spiritual  interests  ?  Is  there  any  thing  here 
left  undone,  which  ought  to  have  been  done — any 
link  wanting  in  the  chain  by  which  she  binds  us  to  the 

n    Faber  on  "  The  Cliurch-Catechism,"  p.  6. 

14 

® ® 


® ■ ® 

302  THE    MORAL    TRAINING 

Throne  of  God  ?  No,  he  who  is  once  within  her 
fold,  and  yet  wishes  to  cast  aside  her  influence,  and 
return  to  worldliness,  would  be  obliged  to  make  an 
effort,  before  he  can  succeed  in  bursting  the  bands 
which  she  hath  twined  about  him,  and  breaking  away 
from  her  holy  restraints.  Not  on  her  therefore  must 
be  cast  the  blame,  when  any  who  have  belonged  to 
her,  fall  by  the  way,  and  thus  prove  that  they  are  to 
have  no  part  nor  lot  in  the  Heavenly  inheritance. 
She  has  provided  every  thing  necessary  for  their 
spiritual  welfare.  The  waters  of  life  are  flowing  be- 
side them,  brightly  and  beautifully,  but  they  will  not 
stoop  and  drink.  The  Heavenly  armor  is  before 
them,  but  they  will  not  array  themselves  in  it  for  the 
conflict. 

Do  I  address  one  individual,  then,  who  has  ever 
felt  inclined  to  distrust  the  Church,  and  to  wander 
elsewhere,  seeking  food  1  Is  there  one,  who  fears 
lest  he  cannot  grow  in  holiness  beneath  her  quiet 
round  of  services,  who  charges  her  with  formality, 
and  wishes  to  turn  to  some  place,  where  he  can  find 
more  excitement  1  My  brother  !  it  is  not  by  noise 
and  bustle  that  you  are  to  be  aided  in  your  progress 
to  Heaven.  The  contest  you  are  to  wage,  must  be 
fought  within — in  your  own  heart — and  from  the  re- 
sponsibility of  this,  nothing  can  relieve  you.  Excite- 
ment will  only  lead  your  thoughts  away  to  the  out- 
ward world  of  action,  instead  of  the  little  inward 
world  of  meditation.  It  can  never  produce  the  ne- 
cessary moral  discipline,  and  if  you  trust  to  it,  you 

® ® 


® ® 

OF    THE    CHURCH.  303 

will  find,  when  the  morning  of  the  Resurrection 
comes,  that  you  are  without  the  wedding  garment. 

Again ;  let  me  ask  such  a  person  another  ques- 
tion— Have  you  thoroughly  tried  this  system  of  the 
Church,  to  see  what  is  its  effect?  She  has  ap- 
pointed, as  we  have  shown  you,  varied  services. 
Have  you  faithfully  attended  all  of  these — Sundays 
and  week-days — on  Festivals  and  in  Lent  1  Have 
you  acted  out  that  principle,  by  which  alone  her  true 
children  are  guided,  that  nothing  but  an  insuperable 
obstacle  shall  prevent  them  from  being  present  here  ? 
If  you  have  not,  what  possible  idea  can  you  form,  of 
the  influence  of  her  holy  system  ?  She  has  also  her 
regular  Fast  days,  to  discipline  your  spirit,  and  recall 
your  affections  from  a  world  which  is  passing  away. 
Have  you  observed  them  as  you  should,  afflicting  the 
soul  here  that  it  may  be  saved  hereafter  ?  She  has 
too  her  Holy  Festivals,  when,  in  a  spirit  of  subdued 
joy,  we  are  to  come  before  God  in  thanksgiving. 
Have  you  done  so,  or  have  those  solemn,  consecrated 
days  been  lost,  and  unmarked  amidst  the  other  days 
of  your  worldly  life  ?  Oh,  if  you  have  not,  month 
after  month  sat  humbly  at  her  feet,  and  listened  to 
her  teaching,  what  right  have  you  to  allege,  that  she 
does  not  supply  every  spiritual  want?  She  can  only 
place  her  system  before  you,  and  then  leave  it  to 
yourself  to  enjoy  its  benefits  or  not.  She  can  min- 
ister only  to  the  faithful. 

Come,  then,  and  make  but  trial  of  her  power. 
While  trouble  is  out  among  the  nations,  and  "  men's 

■ ® 


®- 


-® 


304 


THE    MORAL    TRAINING    OF    THE    CHURCH. 


hearts  are  failing  them  for  fear,  and  for  looking  after 
those  things  which  are  coming  on  the  earth,"  we  call 
you  to  this  ancient  fold,  where  the  landmarks  are 
still  unchanged.  Her  strength  is  unabated — her 
grace  is  undiminished — and  she  can  now  pour  into 
your  heart  the  same  full  tide  of  joy,  which  she  has 
given  to  the  saints  in  the  generations  which  have 
gone.  Still,  her  prayers,  and  Sacraments,  and  holy 
rites  remain  as  of  old,  and  she  stands  before  you,  in  this 
world  a  home  for  the  lonely,  and  at  the  same  time  a 
type  of  that  eternal  and  unchanging  home  for  which 
she  would  prepare  you. 


1^ 


®- 


-® 


® ® 


POPULAR  OBJECTIONS  AGAINST  THE  CHURCH. 


Bide  thou  thy  lime  ! 
Watch  with  meek  eyes  the  race  of  pride  and  crime, 
Sit  in  the  gate,  and  be  the  heatlien's  jest, 

Smiling  and  self-possest. 
O  thou,  to  wliom  is  pledged  a  Victor's  sway, 

Bide  thou  the  Victor's  day  ! 

Lyra  ^pontulica. 


® 


® 


® 


VTII 

POPULAR  OBJECTIONS  AGAINST  THE  CHURCH. 


There  are  some  so  blinded  by  prejudice,  that 
every  thing  connected  with  the  distinctive  principles 
of  the  Church,  is  the  object  of  their  special  anathema. 
They  see  no  beauty  in  her  ancient,  solemn  services 
— nothing  venerable  in  the  long  succession  of  her 
Bishops,  as  the  unbroken  line  comes  down  through 
eighteen  centuries.  They  understand  but  little  of 
her  peculiarities — they  know  not  what  is  Primitive 
and  Catholic — and  they  care  not  to  inquire.  The 
fact,  that  any  thing  which  they  have  abandoned,  has 
been  retained  by  the  Church,  is  sufficient  to  draw 
down  upon  it  their  reprobation.  "  Having  eyes,  they 
see  not,  and  having  ears,  they  hear  not."  They 
form  a  perfect  illustration  of  old  Fuller's  description 
of  Prynne — "  So  great  is  his  antipathy  against  Epis- 
copacy, that  if  a  Seraph  himself  should  be  a  Bishop, 
he  would  either  find  or  make  some  sick  feathers  in 
his  wings."     Now,  to  such  persons  explanations  are 


® 


-® 


®_ ® 

308  POPULAR    OBJECTIONS 

useless.  Words  are  wasted  on  them.  They  can 
only  be  left  to  go  on,  until  their  wilful  blindness 
leads  them  into  some  strange  extravagance,  and  they 
thus  by  their  conduct  give  a  new  proof  of  what  Dr. 
Johnson  asserted,  that  '*  fanaticism  is  robust  ignor- 
ance." 

There  are  others,  however,  who  will  listen  like 
reasonable  beings.  They  have,  perhaps,  been  edu- 
cated in  entire  misapprehension  of  the  spirit  which 
pervades  the  Church,  and  even  of  the  object  of  her 
services.  They  have  heard  the  oft-repeated  calum- 
nies which  are  urged  against  her,  yet  never  met  with 
their  refutation.  By  such  persons,  then,  a  few  words 
of  explanation  will  often  be  received  in  that  spirit 
which  should  always  characterize  the  sincere  inquirer 
after  truth.  I  propose,  therefore,  this  evening  briefly 
to  discuss  some  of  the  common  and  popular  objec- 
tions    WHICH     ARE     URGED     AGAINST     THE     ChURCH. 

Several  which  I  shall  mention,  may  appear  to  those 
already  within  the  pale  of  the  Church,  as  being  too 
trivial  and  unimportant  to  be  noticed.  Yet  they  are 
only  such  as  I  have  often  myself  encountered,  for  few 
subjects  connected  with  religion  are  so  little  under- 
stood by  the  great  mass  of  those  about  us,  as  the  claims 
and  true  position  of  our  Church. 

One  objection  employed  against  us  is — our  use  of 
the  word  "  Catholic."  In  the  Apostles'  Creed,  which 
we  repeat  every  Sunday,  we  declare — "  I  believe  in 
the  Holy  Catholic  Church" — and  in  the  second 
Creed  set  down  in  our  Prayer-Book — that  called  the 

® ® 


— ^ ® 

AGAINST    THE    CHURCHi  309 

Nicene,  and  which  was  adopted  a.  d.  325,  to  be  ex- 
planatory of  the  first — -this  confession  is  made  still 
more  strongly — "  I  believe  one  Catholic  and  Apostolic 
Church."  Soj  too,  in  one  of  the  Prayers  in  "  The 
Visitation  of  the  Sick,"  we  pray  God,  that  "  when  we 
shall  have  served  Him  in  our  generation,  we  may 
be  gathered  unto  our  fathers  .  ,  »  .  in  the  commun- 
ion of  the  Catholic  Church."  Now,  to  many  per- 
sons the  phrase  Catholic  Church  conveys  nothing  but 
the  idea  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  because  they  have 
most  erroneously  been  accustomed  to  distinguish  the 
members  of  that  particular  body  by  the  name  of 
Catholics,  although  it  is  a  title  which  belongs  to  them 
no  more  than  it  does  to  any  other  branch  of  the 
Christian  Church. 

This  word  is  derived  from  the  Greek  word 
Ku&ohy-oi;,  which  means  general  or  universal.  The 
Holy  Catholic  Church,  then,  means  the  Holy  Universal 
Church,  as  existing  in  her  different  branches  in  all 
parts  of  the  earth,  and  in  all  ages  of  the  world.  For 
example,  this  is  the  Greek  word  which  is  employed 
in  the  New  Testament  in  setting  forth  the  titles  of 
the  Epistles  of  St.  James,  St.  Peter,  St.  Jude,  and  the 
First  Epistle  of  St.  John;  because  instead  of  beinor 
addressed  to  particular  Churches — as  St.  Paul  ad- 
dressed his  Epistles  to  the  Church  in  Corinth,  or 
Rome,  or  Ephesus — these  were  written  to  all  the 
Churches  throughout  the  world.  It  might,  therefore, 
be  translated — and  it  would  be  the  most  literal  ren- 
dering— "  the   Catholic    Epistle   {Ennnolri  KuQohxri) 

14* 
— — ® 


©-- — — — — — ® 

310  t-OPULAR    OBJECTIONS 

of  James,  or  Peter,  or  John."  Instead  of  which,  as 
you  remember,  it  is  translated  in  our  version—"  the 
General  Epistle  of  James,  and  Peter,  and  John." 

In  the  early  ages,  when  small  heretical  sects  oc- 
casionally arose,  and  separated  from  the  great  body 
of  the  faithful,  calling  themselves  by  different  party 
names,  the  Church  instead  retained  the  title  of 
Catholic,  to  distinguish  herself  from  them,  as  being 
that  one,  continuous,  orthodox  body,  which  had  always 
existed,  and  to  which  the  preservation  of  the  truth 
was  committed.  The  Catholic  Church  then  was  that 
which  was  spread  throughout  the  world,  and  was 
destined  to  continue  also  through  all  ages,  even  unto 
the  end  of  time.  Her  common  bond  was  the  Apostolic 
Ministry,  and  her  unity  on  all  the  grand  cardinal 
doctrines  of  the  faith.  On  every  shore  her  branches 
were  found  under  their  different  Bishops.  Thus, 
there  was  the  Catholic  Church  of  Jerusalem,  that  of 
Antioch,  of  Alexandria,  of  Rome,  and  that  in  Western 
Europe.  They  had,  indeed,  no  single,  visible  earthly 
head,  presiding  over  them  all,  but  were  independent 
of  each  other,  in  the  same  way  that  the  Church  in 
this  country  is  now  independent  of  the  Church  in 
England.''      Yet,  although  thus  separated  in  distant 

a  The  causes  which  gave  rise  to  the  supremacy  of  the 
Bishops  of  Rome  are  obvious.  The  principal  one  was,  the 
temporal  dignity  and  wealth  of  that  city.  This  gave  to  its 
Church  an  early  pre-eminence,  and  placed  great  power  in 
the  hands  of  her  rulers.  Rome  was  the  mistress  of  the 
wx)rld — the  centre  to  which  all  eyes  were  directed — and  this 

® : ® 


® ® 

AGAINST    THE    CHURCH.  ^        311 

regions,   and   speaking   divers   languages,  they    still 
looked  to  each  other,  as  being  branches  together  of 

feeling  of  respect  and  veneration  naturally  extended  to  the 
Churrh  there.  Thns?,  the  Council  of  Chalccdon  declared  that 
Rome  had  obtained  privileges  on  account  of  its  being  tlie  im- 
perial City.  (Can.  xxviii.)  Cyprian  also  assigns  this  reason 
for  honoring  the  Roman  Church  :  "  Quoniam  pro  magnitudine 
sua  debet  Carthaginem  Roma  praecedere."  (Epist.  49.)  Pre- 
cisely the  same  causes  now  give  the  Bishop  of  London  greater 
influence  in  the  Christian  world,  than  is  possessed  by  the 
Bishop  ofSodor  and  Man.  In  an  age  of  darkness  and  super 
stition,  it  was  easy  for  a  succession  of  ambitious  prelates 
gradually  to  e.xpand  tiiis  influence  into  a  supremacy. 

Nothing,  however,  can  be  more  conclusive  than  the  histo 
rical  argument  against  this  claim  of  the  Bishop  of  Rome. 
When  Polycrates  and  the  Bishops  of  Asia  disagreed  with 
Pope  Victor,  they  seemed  to  pay  very  little  regard  to  his 
opinions  or  his  excommunications.  (Euscb.  Eccles.  Hist. 
lib.  V.  c.  24.)  Irenaeus,  too,  rebuked  the  same  Pope  for  his 
arrogance.  (Ibid.)  St.  Cyprian  bestowed  on  the  Bishop  of 
Rome  no  higher  title  than  that  of  brother  and  colJeague,  and 
expressed  the  utmost  disregard  of  Pope  Stephen's  judgment 
with  regard  to  heretics.  (Cyp.  ad  Pomp.  74.)  The  early 
Bishops  of  Rome  indeed  disclaimed  all  such  authority. 
Gregory  the  Great,  in  the  6th  Century,  tells  us,  that  "  the 
Fathers  of  the  Council  of  Chalcedon  were  they  who  first 
oflered  to  his  predecessors  the  title  of  Universal  Bishop, 
which  they  refused  to  accept."  (Epist.  Lib.  vii.  Ep.  30  ) 
He  elsewhere  condemns  the  Patriarch  of  Constantinople  for 
assuming  this  title,  and  says — "  Whoever  claims  the  Univer- 
sal Episcopate,  is  the  forerunner  of  Anti-Christ."  (Ego 
fidentcr  dico,  quod  quisquis  se  Universalem  Sacerdotem  vocat, 
vel  vocari  desidcrat,  in  elationc  sua,  Anti-Christum  proecur- 
rit.)     (Lib.  vi.  Epist.  30.)     The  second  General  Council  in- 

®  is) 


® ® 

312       ***  POPULAR    OBJECTIONS 

the  same  vine.  Beautifully,  indeed,  is  this  illustrated 
in  the  writings  of  one  of  the  old  Fathers — "  The 
Church,"  he  says,  "  is  one,  though  multiplied  far  and 
wide  by  its  naturally  prolific  tendency;  in  like  man- 
ner as  the  sun  has  rays  many,  yet  one  light;  and  the 
tree  has  many  boughs,  yet  their  strength,  from  the 
root  upwards,  is  a  single  property ;  and  when  many 
streams  flow  from  one  head,  a  character  of  multipli- 
city may  be  developed  in  the  copiousness  of  their 
discharge,  and  yet  the  unity  of  their  nature  must  be 
recognized  in  the  fountain  they  proceed  from.  Divide 
the  ray  from  the  sun,  and  the  principle  of  unity  will 
negative  their  separation ;  lop  the  bough  from  the 
tree,  it  will  want  strength  to  blossom  ;  cut  the  stream 
from  its  fountain,  the  remnant  will  be  dried  up.  Thus 
the  Church,  invested  with  light  from  the  Lord,  sends 
out  her  rays  over  the  whole  earth  ;  and  yet  the  light 
is  one,  disseminated  everywhere,  with  no  separation 
of  the  original  body  :  she  stretches  forth  the  rich 
luxuriance  of  her  branches  over  all  the  world,  and 
pours  out  her  onward  streams,  and  spreads  into  the 
distance ;  yet  is  there  one  head,  one  source,  one 
mother,  in  all  the  instances  of  her  eventful  fecundity.'"' 

deed — that  of  Constantinople,  A.  D.  381 — gave  the  title  of 
"  Mother  of  all  Cliurches,"  not  to  the  Church  of  Rome,  but 
that  of  Jerusalem.     PercivaVs  Roman  Schism,  p.  32. 

See  this  subject  fully  discussed  in  Barrow  on  the  Pope's 
Supreviacy — Bp  Hopkins's  Church  of  Rome  compared  with 
Prim.  Church — and  Palmer  s  Treatise  on  the  Church,  vol.  ii. 
p.  451—493. 

b  Cyprian,  de  Unit.  Eccles. 

® ■ —  ® 


® @ 

AGAINST    THE    CHURCH.  313 

Such  in  that  day  was  the  view  entertained  of  the 
Church.  Her  members  felt,  therefore,  that  they  were 
one  "  in  the  fellowship  of  the  Spirit,"  while  with  the 
different  sects  of  heretics  about  them,  they  held  no 
communion.  It  was  in  this  spirit  that  St,  Augustine 
defined  the  word  Catholic.  "  The  Catholic  Church," 
said  he,  "  is  so  called,  because  it  is  spread  through- 
out the  world.""  Again,  he  adds,  addressing  certain 
heretics — "  If  your  Church  is  Catholic,  show  me  that 
it  spreads  its  branches  throughout  the  world  ;  for 
such  is  the  meaning  of  the  word  Catholic."^  So  also 
Vincentius  of  Lerins  writes  in  the  fifth  'century — 
"  The  Catholic  or  universal  doctrine  is  that  which 
remains  the  same  through  all  ages,  and  will  continue 
so  till  the  end  of  the  world.  He  is  a  true  Catholic, 
who  firmly  adheres  to  the  faith  which  he  knows  the 
Catholic  Church  has  universally  taught  from  the  days 
of  old."' 

Who  then  in  this  day  are  the  Catholics  ?  We 
answer,  those  who  belong  to  any  branch  of  the  origin- 
al Church,  in  whatever  country  it  may  exist,  which 
has  retained  the  Apostolic  ministry,  and  owns  its 
subjection  to  the  Universal  Church,  rendering  obedi- 
ence to  her  voice.  We  are  members  of  the  Catho- 
lic Church,  for  we  derive  our  succession  from  Primi- 
tive days,  and  still  hold  in  all  respects  to  "the  faith 
once  delivered   to  the  saints."     We  recognize  our 

c  Epigt.l70,ad  S.  Sever. 

d  Contra  Gaudent.  1.  iii.  c.  1. 

e  Commonit  adv.  Ilaeiet.  c.  25. 

® — ® 


® ® 

314  POPULAR    OBJECTIONS 

connection  with  the  Universal  Church,  whenever  we 
repeat  the  Creeds,  or  that  declaration  in  the  Te 
Deum — "  The  Holy  Church  throughout  all  the  world 
doth  acknowledge  Thee." 

Our  Mother  Church  in  England  has  never  given 
up  the  title.  "  We  hope" — says  Hooker — "  that  to 
reform  ourselves,  if  at  any  time  we  have  done  amiss, 
is  not  to  sever  ourselves  from  the  Church  we  were 
of  before.  In  the  Church  we  were,  and  we  are  so 
still."'' 

This  too  is  the  title  of  the  Greek  Church,  and  of 
those  vast  and  numerous  Churches  in  the  East, 
which,  even  in  their  low  estate,  have  never  severed 
themselves  from  the  Universal  Church.  We  ac- 
knowledge, too,  as  Catholics,  the  members  of  the 
Church  of  Rome,  within  the  bounds  of  her  own  pro- 
per jurisdiction,   and  when   she   does  not  put   forth 

f  Ecchs.  Pol.  iDorfis,  v.  i  p.  437,  ed.  Kehle.  Mr.  Pahner 
has  collected  many  instances  from  public  documents,  of  the 
continued  use  of  the  title  Catholic.  For  example — In  the 
order  of  prayer  before  sermons  in  1535,  the  preacher  was  to 
"pray  for  the  whole  Catholic  Church  of  Christ,  &c.  and  es- 
pecially for  the  Catholic  Church  of  this  realm"  and  for  King 
Henry  VIII.,  the  "supreme  head  of  this  Catholic  Church  of 
England.''  (See  Burnet,  v.  iii.  Records,  n.  29.)  In  the  act 
against  Annates,  (23  Hen.  viii.  c  33,)  it  is  said,  that  the 
King  and  all  his  subjects,  "as  well  spiritual  as  temporal, 
been  as  obedient,  devout,  Catholic,  and  humble  children  of 
God,  and  holy  Church,  as  any  people  be  within  any  realm 
christened."  {Treatise  on  Church,  v.  i.  p.  227.)  The  writers 
of  tiie  Church  in  England  always  speak  in  these  terms. 

® ® 


® ® 

AGAINST    THE    CHURCH.  315 

claims  which  conflict  with   those   of  other   branches 
of  the  Church.^    You  perceive   then  from  this   expla- 

g  There  arc  some  writers  who  take  the  ground  tliat, 
since  the  Council  of  Trent,  the  Romanists  have  cut  them- 
selves offfrom  the  Catholic  Church,  and  are  schismatics.  This 
opinion  is  supported  by  Jewel,  Field,  and  others.  Even  Mr. 
Froude,  who  has  been  accused  of  leaning  towards  Romanism, 
says — "  The  Romanists  [are  not  schismatics  in  England  and 
Catholics  abroad,  but  they]  are  wretched  Tridentines  every- 
where." Ilcmai7is,  v.  i.  p.  434. 

We  have  followed,  however,  on  this  point  the  great  body 
ofEnglisii  divines.  Hooker  calls  the  Church  of  Rome  "a 
part  of  the  house  of  God,  a  limb  of  the  visible  church  of 
Christ."  (Worlis^  ii.  478.)  And  again — "  We  gladly  acknow- 
ledge them  to  be  of  tiie  family  of  Jesus  Christ."  (Ibid.  438.) 
This  was  the  view  of  Laud,  Hammond,  Bramhall,  Andrewes, 
Chillingworth,  Tillotson,  Burnet,  &c.  It  is  asserted  also 
most  clearly  in  the  formularies  of  the  English  Church.  Thus, 
in  the  "Institutions  of  a  Christian  JMan,"  signed  in  1.537  by 
twenty-one  Archbishops  and  Bishops,  (among  wiiom  were 
Cranmer,  Latimer,  Shaxton,  Bradford,  May,  and  Cox,  all 
warm  supporters  of  the  Reformation,)  v/e  find  this  passage — 
"Therefore  I  do  believe  that  the  Church  of  Rome  is  not,  nor 
cannot  wortiiily  be  called  the  Catholic  Church,  but  only  a 
particular  member  thereof.  And  I  believe  also  that  the 
said  Church  of  Rome,  with  all  the  other  particular  Churches 
in  the  world,  compacted  and  united  together,  do  make  and 
constitute  but  one  Catholic  or  Church  bodij."  (p.  55  )  So  again, 
the  "  Necessary  Doctrine  and  Erudition,"  approved  by  the 
Bishops  of  England,  in  1543,  after  acknowledging  tlie  particu- 
lar Churches  of  England,  Spain,  Italy,  Poland,  Portugal,  and 
Koinr,  adds  that  these  churches  are  "  members  of  the  tchole 
Catholic  Church,  and  each  oftiiem  by  himself  is  also  worthily 
called  a  Catholic  Church."  (p.  248.)     We  think,  therefore, 

®  — ® 


® . -. ® 

316  POPULAR    OBJECTIONS 

nation,  how  erroneous  is  that  popular  mode  of  speech 
by  which  so  many  are  accustomed  to  confer  this  title 
exclusively  upon  the  members  of  the  Romish  Church. 
"  The  name  Catholic  belongs  equally  to  all  the  mem- 
bers of  Christ's  Catholic  Church,  wherever  dispersed 
and  however  distressed.  Hence  a  name,  which  be- 
longs equally  to  all,  whether  oriental  or  occidental, 
cannot  be  correctly  employed  as  the  special,  and  ex- 
clusive, and  descriptive  appellation  of  a  part  only : 
because,  when  the  term  is  thus  used,  the  common 
character  of  Catholicism  is  by  implication  denied  to 
every  Christian,  who  happens  not  to  be  a  member  of 
that  provincial  Western  Church  which  is  in  com- 
munion with  the  Bishop  of  Rome,  and  which  ac- 
knowledges him  as  its  chief  or  Patriarch.'"" 

that  the  decision  of  the  Church  in  England,  on  this  point,  is 
clear. 

Leading  modern  writers  generally  take  the  same  view. 
It  will  be  found  expressed  in  the  works  of  Palmer,  Bp.  Whit- 
tingham,  Dr.  Hook,  G.  S.  Faber,  and  others.  The  latter, 
even  when  writing  against  the  Romanists,  says- — "  That  the 
Latins  constitute  one  of  the  many  branches  of  Christ's  Uni- 
versal Church,  I  am  far  from  wishing  to  deny."  Diff.  of 
Romanism^  pref.  xxxiii. 

h  Faher's  Difficulties  of  Romanistn,  pref.  xxxiii.  The 
same  idea  is  expressed  by  Dr.  Hook,  in  a  sermon  preached 
before  the  Q,ueen,  in  the  Chapel  Royal — "  You  see  here,  by 
the  way,  the  folly,  (if  it  be  not  a  sin,  for  it  is  calling  '  evil  good, 
and  good  evil,')  of  styling  the  Romish  Dissenters  in  England, 
as  some  persons  in  extreme  ignorance,  and  others  perhaps 
with  bad  intentions,  do,  Catholics;  for  this  insinuates,  that 
we  of  the  church  of  England  are  heretics,  whereas  you  have 

® ® 


® ® 

AGAINST    THE    CHVKCII.  317 

Let  us  not  then  misinterpret  this  term,  or  shrink 
from  acknowledging,  that  we  "  believe  in  one  Catho- 
lic and  Apostolic  Church."  It  is  declaring  the  truth, 
that  we  are  no  obscure  sect — no  mere  party  in  the 
Christian  world,  calling  ourselves  by  the  name  of 
some  human  teacher ;  but  that  we  claim  fellowship 
with  the  great  fold  of  Christ — the  communion  of  the 
faithful,  not  only  in  this  generation,  spread  every- 
where throughout  the  earth,  but  also  of  these  who, 
in  every  age  which  has  gone,  have  "  slept  in  Jesus," 

scon  that  ours,  not  theirs,  is  the  true  and  ortliodox  Church  of 
Ciirist  in  this  country,  tiie  real  Caliiolic  Church  in  and  of 
Enghind.  If  tlicy  disliite  the  name  Papist,  we  may  speak  of 
tlieni  as  Romanists,  or  even  Roman  Catliolics.  Roman  Catho- 
lics they  may  be  styled,  for  (thougii  schismatics  and  dissent- 
ers in  England)  in  France  and  England  they  belong  to  a 
Church  true  by  descent,  though  corrupted  by  Roman  or  Popish 
superstitions.  A  bad  man  is  still  a  man,  and  you  may  refuse 
to  associate  with  him  before  he  reforms  ;  but  still  you  will 
never  permit  him  so  to  style  himself  a  man,  as  to  imply  that 
you  yourself  are  not  a  human  being." 

i  By  not  adhering  to  this  name  we  furnish  the  Roman- 
ists with  an  argument  against  us.  Thus,  Dr.  Milner,  speak- 
ing of  the  members  of  the  Church  in  England,  says — "Every 
time  they  address  the  God  of  truth,  either  in  solemn  worship 
or  in  private  devotion,  they  are  forced  each  of  them  to  re- 
peat, '  I  believe  in  the  Catholic  Church.'  And  yet,  if  I  ask 
any  of  them  the  question,  '  Are  you  a  catholic.^'  he  is 
sure  to  answer  me,  '  No,  I  am  a  protf.stant.'  Was  there 
ever  a  more  glaring  instance  of  inconsistency  and  self-con- 
demnation among  rational  beings  ?"  End  of  Religious  Con- 
troversy, letter  xxv. 

® — ® 


® S) 

318  POPULAR    OBJECTIONS 

and  those  who  shall  be  united  "  with  His  body, 
which  is  the  Church,"  in  all  future  time,  even  until 
the  trump  of  the  archangel  proclaims  that  the  war- 
fare of  his  followers  is  over. 

Again,  another  objection  often  urged  against  us 
is — the  use  hy  our  ministers  of  peculiar  clerical  gar- 
ments. In  the  English  Ritual,  published  in  1549, 
directions  are  given  on  the  subject  of  Ecelesiastical 
Vestures.  Among  these  we  find  particular  mention 
made  of  the  Albe.  This  garment,  which  is  noticed 
among  the  acts  of  the  Council  of  Narbonne,  A.  D. 
5S9,  was  very  similar  to  the  present  Surplice,  by 
which  name  it  began  to  be  called  about  the  twelfth 
century.^  We  will  quote  some  of  these  Rubrics  of 
1549.  "  Upon  the  day  and  at  the  time  appointed  for 
the  ministration  of  the  Holy  Communion,  the  priest 
that  shall  execute  the  holy  ministry  shall  put  upon 
him  the  vesture  appointed  for  that  ministration  ;  that 
is  to  say,  a  tchite  albc,  plain,"  &c.  "  In  the  saying 
or  singing  of  matins  and  evensong,  baptizing  and 
burying,  the  minister,  in  parish  churches  and  chapels 
annexed  to  the  same,  shall  use  a  suiplcss."  Follow- 
ing this  ancient  regulation  of  the  English  Church, 
we  have  adopted  the  custom  that  the  priest,  when  he 
officiates  in  the  usual  services,  should  be  clothed  in  a 
white  linen  surplice.''  And  yet  there  are  some  so 
sensitive,  as  to  make  this  a  cause  of  offence. 

j   Palmer  on  the  Ritual,  v.  ii.  p.  320. 

k   The  origin  of  this  word  is  somewhat  doubtful.       Web- 
ster, in  his  Dictionary,  gives  its  derivation  as  from  the  Latin 

® — ® 


® ® 

AGAINST    THE    CHURCH.  319 

"It  is  used  by  the  Romanists" — we  are  told. 
And  so  it  is  ;  but  if  good  in  itself,  is  this  any  reason 
for  abandoning  it  ?  Is  it  the  object  of  the  Christian 
world,  to  get  as  far  as  possible  from  the  Church  of 
Rome,  without  exercising  any  discrimination  as  to 
what  is  correct,  and  what  incorrect  in  her  rites  and 
services?  Why  not  then  abandon  the  custom  of 
singing,  as  a  part  of  public  worship,  because  vocal 
music  is  heard  in  her  temples — or  give  up  baptism, 
because  that  Church  has  retained  it — or  the  use  of 
any  commissioned  ministry  whatsoever,  because  she 
has  still  clung  to  the  order  of  the  priesthood.'  The 
question  is  not,  whether  it  is  a  custom  of  the  Romish 
Church,  but  whether  it  is  sanctioned  by  the  usage  of 
the  ancient  Church,  and  whether  it  is  advantageous, 

^^  super  pellicium,  aho\ e  the  robe  of  fur."  This  agrees  with 
the  account  given  by  Durandus,  who,  in  his  work  on  the 
Divine  Offices,  written  about  the  year  1286,  traces  up  the 
etymology  of  the  word  superpelliceum,  to  a  custom  which 
anciently  prevailed  in  the  Church,  of  wearing  tunics  made 
from  the  skins  of  such  animals  as  the  country  furnished,  over 
which  was  cast  a  white  linen  alb  or  vest,  which  thus  receiv- 
ed its  name,  supcrpcUicr.nm,  from  the  circumstance  of  its 
being  worn  above  fur.     Rock's  Hierurgia.  vol.  ii.  p.  661. 

1  We  might  find  a  fit  answer  in  the  reply  given  by  Cyp- 
rian in  ancient  times,  to  similar  objections — "  Q-uid  ergo  ? 
quia  et  honorem  catliedroe  sacerdotalis  Novatianus  usurpat, 
num  idcirco  nos  cathedrjE  renunciare  debcnuis  ?  Aut  quia 
Novatianus  altare  collocare,  et  sacrificia  ofTerre  Contra  jus 
nititur  ;  ab  altari  et  sacraficiis  cessare  nos  oportet,  ne  paria  ct 
similia  cum  illo  celebrare  videamur  !"  Epist.  ad  Juhaiun.  de 
H(cret.  rebapt. 

® 


® ® 

320  POPULAR    OBJECTIONS 

as  adding  solemnity  to  the  forms  of  public  worship  1 
When  on  this,  and  other  kindred  points,  such  puerile 
objections  are  brought  forward,  instead  of  attempt- 
ing gravely  to  meet  them,  we  feel  inclined  to 
respond  with  the  Apostolic  injunction — "  Brethren, 
be  not  children  in  understanding ;  but  in  understand- 
ing be  men."'" 

"  But  the  Surplice  is  not  necessary  for  the  wor- 
ship of  God" — we  are  again  told.  Now  suppose  we 
should  carry  out  this  principle,  and  only  retain  what 
is  absolutely  and  barely  necessary  ;  how  much  would 
be  left  to  us?  Why,  not  even  these  consecrated  tem- 
ples, in  which  we  offer  up  our  prayers,  are  indispen- 
sable. We  might  worship  God  "  in  spirit  and  in 
truth,"  in  any  building  however  humble.  We  might 
pour  forth  our  petitions,  where  the  dark  forests  were 
waving  around  us,  and  the  Heavens  above  formed 
our  only  canopy  ;  like  the  ancient  Christians,  when 
in  days  of  persecution,  far  away  from  the  abodes  of 
men, 

"  Tliey  shook  the  depths  of  the  desert's  gloom 
With  their  hymns  of  lofty  cheer." 

But  we  know  that  the  mind  and  the  devotional 
feelings  are  reached  through  the  outward  senses,  and 
therefore  it  is  meet  and  proper,  that  some  spot  should 
be  set  apart,  in  which  week  after  week  we  may  as- 
semble before  God.  By  being  thus  "  separated  from 
all  unhallowed,  worldly,  and   common  uses,"  it  will 

m  1  Cor.  xiv.  20. 
® ® 


® 

AGAINST    THE    CHURCH.  321 

"  fill  men's  minds  with  greater  reverence  for  God's 
glorious  majesty,  and  affect  their  hearts  with  more 
devotion  and  humility  in  His  service.""  And  the 
same  regard  for  the  principles  of  association  would 
dictate,  that  when  the  minister  of  the  Church  offici- 
ates in  the  solemn  rites  of  the  sanctuary,  even  his 
outward  apparel  should  declare  to  those  before  whom 
he  stands,  the  sacred  duty  in  which  he  is  engaged. 
Thus,  the  recollections  of  this  world  are  broken  in 
upon — men  forget  the  individual,  and  remember  only 
the  office  which  he  holds. 

Look  again  at  the  authority  for  the  use  of  this 
garment,  and  the  antiquity  which  can  be  pleaded  in 
its  behalf.  Under  the  Jewish  dispensation,  God 
Himself  prescribed  with  the  utmost  minuteness,  the 
dress  of  all  who  should  minister  before  Him  in  holy 
things.  While  magnificent  robes  were  provided  for 
the  High  Priest,  the  ordinary  priests,  when  perform- 
ing service,  were  to  wear  "  a  white  linen  ephod." 
The  Levites  also,  who  were  singers,  were  arrayed  in 
white  linen.  And  tiiis  continued  to  be  the  law 
through  all  ages  of  the  Jewish  state. 

The  early  apostles  being  Jews,  and  thus  trained 
up  to  see  "  all  things  done  decently  and  in  order,"  it 
was  natural  that  under  the  new  dispensation  they 
should  have  continued  to  observe  the  ancient  custom 
of  appropriate  priestly  garments.  This  is  shown  by 
frequent  allusions  to  the  surplice  in  the  primitive 

n  Address  in  tlie  form  for  the  Consecration  of  a  Church. 

® "(S) 


® 

322  POPULAR    OBJECTIONS 

writers.  Thus  it  is  said  in  the  Apostolical  Constitu- 
tions— "  Then  the  High  Priest  standing  at  the  altar 
with  the  presbyters,  makes  a  private  prayer  by  him- 
self, having  on  his  zohite  or  bright  vestment.""  Pon- 
tius, in  his  account  of  St.  Cyprian's  martyrdom,  says 
that  there  was  by  chance  near  him  at  that  time  "  a 
white  linen  cloth,  so  that  at  his  passion  he  seemed  to 
have  some  of  the  ensigns  of  the  Episcopal  honor. "^ 
Eusebius,  in  his  address  to  Paulinus,  Bishop  of  Tyre, 
mentions  "the  sacred  gown"  and  "the  sacerdotal 
garments"  worn  by  Bishops  and  Priests.''  It  was  one 
of  the  charges  made  against  St.  Athanasius,  that  he 
had  imposed  a  tax  upon  the  Egyptians,  to  raise  a 
fund  for  the  linen  vestments  of  the  church.'  This  fact 
is  mentioned  both  by  Athanasius  himself,  and  by 
Sozomen.  We  observe  in  this,  that  the  accusation 
was  not,  that  he  used  such  vestments  in  the  Church, 
but  only  that  he  laid  a  tax  upon  the  people  to  provide 
them ;  which  supposes  them  to  be  in  ordinary  use. 
St.  Chrysostom  intimates  that  Deacons  wore  this 
habit  in  their  ministrations  when  he  says,  "  their 
honor,  crown,  and  glory,  did  not  consist  so  much  in 
their  walking  about  the  Church  in  a  lohite  and  shin- 
ing garment,  as  in  their  power  to  repel  unworthy 
communicants  from  the  Lord's   table. "^     The  histo- 

o  Lib.  viii.  ch.  12. 

p  Wheatly  on  Common  Prayer,  p.  105. 
q  Eccles.  Hist.  lib.  x.  ch.  4. 
r  Bingiiam's  Orig.  Eccles.  lib.  xiii.cli.  8.  sec.  2. 
s  Chrys  Horn.  82  in  Matt. 

® ® 


® ® 

AGAINST    THE    CHURCH.  323 

rian  Sozomen,  when  speaking  of  the  assault  made 
upon  the  Church  by  the  enemies  of  St.  Chrysostom, 
says — "  The  priests  and  deacons  were  beaten  and 
driven  out  of  the  Church,  as  they  were  in  the  vest- 
mrnts  of  their  ministration.'"-  And,  to  give  one  more 
instance :  St.  Jerome  in  the  same  sentence  both 
shows  the  ancient  use  of  the  dress,  and  reproves  the 
needless  scruples  of  those  who  oppose  it — "  What 
harm  or  enmity,  I  pray,  is  it  against  God,  if  a  Bishop, 
Presbyter,  or  Deacon,  or  any  other  of  the  Ecclesi- 
astical Order,  come  forth  in  a  white  vestment,  when 
they  administer  the  Sacraments?"" 

And  how  suitable  is  the  color  of  this  dress  in 
which  the  priests  minister  at  the  altar  !  White  has 
in  all  ages  been  the  emblem  of  innocence  and  purity. 
Therefore  it  is  that  when,  in  the  book  of  Daniel, 
the  Ancient  of  Days  is  represented  as  appearing  to 
the  prophet,  we  are  told,  that  "  His  garment  was 
white  as  snow" — when  our  Lord  was  transfigured, 
"  His  raiment  was  white  as  the  light" — and  when 
angels  have  appeared  to  men,  they  have  always  been 
clothed  in  white  apparel. 

It  declares  the  frame  of  mind  in  which  we  should 
appear  before  God — cleansed  from  all  sin,  like  those 
whom  St.  John  saw  in  vision,  who  had  "  washed  their 
robes,  and  made  them  white  in  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb."  To  the  Lamb's  wife,  which  is  the  Church, 
we    are  told,  "  it  was  granted,  that  she  should  be 

t  Sozom.  Lib.  ii.  cap.  21. 
I  u  Adv.  Pelag.  lib.  i.  ch.  9.  torn.  2. 

® _______^ __® 


®— ® 

334  POPULAR    OBJECTIONS 

arrayed  in  fine  linen,  clean  and  white ;  for  the  fine 
linen  is  the  righteousness  of  saints," 

And  more  than  all,  by  this  significant  emblem  we 
are  pointed  forward  to  the  glory  which  awaits  the 
ransomed.  "  They" — declares  our  Lord — "  shall 
walk  with  me  in  white,  for  they  are  worthy.  He 
that  overcometh,  the  same  shall  be  clothed  in  white 
raiment,  and  I  will  not  blot  out  his  name  out  of  the 
book  of  life,  but  I  will  confess  his  name  before  my 
Father,  and  before  his  angels."  And  again,  the  same 
Apostle  says — "  I  beheld,  and  lo,  a  great  multitude, 
which  no  man  could  number,  of  all  nations,  and 
kindred,  and  people,  and  tongues,  stood  before  the 
throne,  and  before  the  Lamb,  clothed  with  white 
robes,  and  palms  in  their  hands  ;  and  cried  with  a 
loud  voice,  saying,  Salvation  to  our  God  which  sitteth 
upon  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb." 

Surely  then  it  is  right,  that  our  ministers,  when 
publicly  offering  prayers  to  God,  should  retain  this 
ancient  garment,  which  was  first  prescribed  by  the 
God  of  Israel  Himself — adopted  in  the  Primitive 
Church — in  all  ages  the  emblem  of  devotion — and 
thus  descending  to  us,  consecrated  by  the  veneration 
of  more  than  three  thousand  years.' 

But  a  third  objection  urged  against  the  Church, 

V  It  will  be  observed,  that  we  have  said  nothing  about 
the  black  gown,  which  is  generally  used  by  the  minister 
while  preaching.  The  reason  of  this  omission  is,  because  it 
is  not  a  clerical  dress.  It  was  originally  an  academic 
dress,  which  is  still  worn  in  many  of  our  colleges,  and  by  the 

® ® 


® ® 

AGAINST    THE    CHURCH.  325 

is  one  much  more  important.  It  is — that  the  terms  of 
admission  into  our  fold  are  easy,  and  hut  little  scru- 
tiny exercised.     Now,  what  is  the  door  of  admission 

judges  of  .some  of  our  courts.  There  is  therefore  nothing 
about  it  strictly  ecclesiastical. 

The  object  of  this  change  of  costume  while  officiating  in 
the  service  is  briefly  tiiis  The  priest  while  at  the  altar  or  en- 
gaged in  reading  the  words  of  the  Liturgy,  acts  and  speaks  in 
the  name  of  the  Church,  authoritatively,  and  is  therefore 
clothed  in  the  vestments  of  the  Church.  In  preaching,  how- 
ever, he  is  delivering  his  own  words,  not  the  words  of  the 
Church,  and  therefore  does  not  wear  her  distinctive  gar- 
ments. 

It  was  not  indeed  originally  intended,  that  he  should  ^wi 
071  a  gown  after  the  prayers,  for  the  purpose  of  preaching.  The 
gown  and  cassock  were  the  ordinary  daily  dress  of  the  cler- 
gy, even  down  to  the  middle  of  the  last  century.  We  learn 
tfrts  from  the  works  of  Fielding,  and  several  of  the  pictures 
of  Hogarth.  The  priest  is  supposed  therefore  to  be  already 
clothed  in  his  gown  and  cassock,  over  which  is  his  surplice. 
It  is  only  necessary,  therefore,  for  him  to  take  off  the  latter, 
and  he  is  ready  for  preaching.  This  is  what  is  referred  to  in 
Shakspcare,  where  he  so  clearly  shows  the  manner  of  wear- 
ing both  the  surplice  and  gown.  In  "  All's  well  that  ends 
well,"  the  clown,  being  obliged  to  do  something  which  he 
dislikes,  consoles  himself  by  saying,  that  he  "  will  wear  the 
surplice  of  humility  over  the  black  goicn  of  a  big  heart." 

This  is  the  view  given  in  a  late  work — A  few  Thoughts  on 
Church  subjects,  hij  Rev.  Edw.  Scobell,  Lo?irf.,  1843.  He  says 
— "  And  the  law  ordains  this  distinction  warily ;  with  a  spe- 
cial design  and  good  reason.  As  a  ministering  priest,  a  cler- 
gyman is  the  representative  and  voice  of  the  Church,  speak- 
ing in  her  own  words,  and,  in  the  use  of  the  Liturgy,  deliver- 
ing her  written,  deliberate,  unalterable  doctrines;  and  there- 

15 

® ■ ® 


® 

326  POPULAR    OBJECTIONS 

into  the  Christian  Church?  We  answer,  of  course, 
Baptism — for  this  was  commanded  explicitly  by  our 
Lord,  as  the  rite  of  entrance  into  His  Kingdom,  for 
all  who  embraced  His  doctrines.  "  Go" — said  He 
— "  and  teach — or,  as  it  might  be  translated — "  make 
disciples  of  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name 
of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 

fore  she  clothes  him,  not  only  with  a  power,  but  with  a  spe- 
cific dress  for  that  solemn  purpose." 

"  But  in  the  regular  sermon,  and  as  a  regular  preacher, 
high  and  holy  as  his  employment  may  be,  and  sincerely  as 
the  Church  hopes  for  the  best,  still  the  preacher  is  no  longer 
her  sacerdotal  organ."  In  this  case — Mr.  S.  argues — while 
the  minister  may  be  endeavoring  to  give  the  views  and  ex- 
positions of  the  Church,  still  he  does  so  in  his  own  language, 
and  with  his  own  thoughts.  In  doing  this,  he  is  liable  to 
error,  and  sometimes  is  actually  in  error.  "  On  this  account 
it  is,  that  the  Church  purposely  disrobes  him,  in  his  new 
function,  (by  giving  him  no  license  to  appear  in  them,)  of 
those  ornaments  with  which,  in  her  reading  desk,  and  at  her 
communion  table,  she  has  invested  him  by  authority,  and 
suffers  him  to  speak  his  own  private  thoughts  in  his  own  pri- 
vate dress;  and  thus  it  is  that  the  preacher,  (if  the  office  be 
united,)  when  in  the  pulpit  he  ceases  to  be  a  priest,  puts  on 
no  new  dress  for  the  purpose,  but  simply  takes  off  the  sur- 
plice, and  remains  in  his  original  gown."  P.  42.  See  also 
Lond.  Quar.  Review,  May,  1843,  p.  262. 

This  view  is  confirmed  by  the  invariable  custom  of  the 
Church  of  Rome.  There,  when  the  same  priest  performs 
the  service  and  preaches,  before  he  ascends  the  pulpit,  he 
takes  off  the  peculiar  vestment,  {chasuble  or  cope,)  in  which 
he  performs  the  rites,  and  assumes  it  again  when  he  returns 
to  the  altar. 

® ® 


® ® 

AGAINST    THE    CHURCH.  327 

Every  person,  therefore,  who  has  been  baptized,  is  as 
much  a  member  of  the  Church  as  he  ever  can  be. 
The  question,  Whether  after  this  he  walks  worthy  of 
his  high  calling  ?  opens  an  entirely  different  subject, 
and  one,  the  responsibility  of  which  rests  upon  him- 
self, not  upon  the  Church. 

But  let  us  see  whether  the  Church  does  lightly 
receive  her  members  in  Baptism.  Take  up  the  ques- 
tions proposed  to  one  who  is  a  candidate  for  that  Holy 
Rite,  and  the  mere  reading  of  them  will  at  once 
cause  this  objection  to  vanish.  What  then  does  she 
require  him  to  believe,  on  entering  her  fold?  The 
question  addressed  to  him  is — "  Dost  thou  believe  all 
the  Articles  of  the  Christian  faith,  as  contained  in 
the  Apostles'  Creed  ?"  Now,  you  well  know  the 
simple,  comprehensive  Creed  called  by  this  name, 
and  which  is  repeated  in  our  services  every  time  we 
meet.  It  contains  a  brief  summary  of  all  the  cardi- 
nal doctrines  of  our  faith — of  all  which  are  to  be  be- 
lieved, as  necessary  to  salvation.  These  are  to  be 
received  heartily  and  truly — in  their  literal  meaning, 
as  they  have  always  been  explained  and  interpreted 
by  the  Church.'" 

w  It  is  evident,  that  a  person  may  sometimes  be  able  to 
repeat  the  Creed,  and  profess  his  belief  in  its  articles,  while 
at  the  same  time  he  gives  his  own  interpretation  to  some  of 
them,  and  philosophizes  away  their  natural  sense  In  this 
way  Arius  was  willing  to  subscribe  to  the  Apostles'  Creed, 
while  denying  the  true  and  proper  divinity  of  our  Lord.  The 
Church  therefore  obviates  this  difficulty,  by  having  from  the 

® ® 


® : ® 

328  POPULAR    OBJECTIONS 

And  is  not  this  all  that  we  can  lawfully  require 
of  our  members?  Have  we  any  right  to  force  them 
to  subscribe  to  minute  points  of  abstruse  theology, 
not  fully  proved  from  Scripture,  and  which  are  often, 
to  say  the  least,  questionable  1  No — the  very  sim- 
plicity of  this  Creed — and  it  has  been  used  for  this 
purpose  in  all  ages  of  the  Church — is  its  strong  re- 
commendation. It  can  be  clearly  understood  by  all 
— even  the  unlettered  and  the  child.  Regulating 
essential  matters,  it  places  such  restrictions  on  its 
members  as  prevent  them  from  straying  beyond  the 
bounds  of  orthodoxy,  while  on  the  other  hand,  in  those 
things  which  are  unessential,  where  different  minds 
will  necessarily  take  different  views,  it  leaves  room 
for  a  liberal  variation  of  opinion.  Thus  are  avoided 
those  endless  disputes  on  the  deep  doctrines  of  our 
faith,  which  so  often  disturb  the  peace  of  those  de- 
nominations around  us,  and  even  rend  them  asunder 
into  separate  bodies,  while  attempting  in  every  mi- 
nute particular  to  bring  all  men  down  to  one  precise 
standard. 

Experience,  too,  has  proved  that  this  system  is  the 
best  in  its  practical  effects,  to  preserve  purity  in  doc- 
trine. Let  one  come  to  us,  who  has  erred  from  the 
faith — who  disbelieves,  for  example,  in  the  Divinity 
of  our  Lord — and  by  applying  the  test  of  this  Creed, 

earliest  age  explained  the  creed  in  her  formularies,  and  her 
members  must  hold  it  in  the  honest  sense  she  does,  or  be 
counted  heretics. 

® ® 


® 


AGAINST    T(IE    CHURCH.  329 

(as  interpreted  by  the  Nicene  Creed,)  we  debar  him 
from  the  Church  as  a  heretic.  There  is,  therefore, 
as  much  sound  orthodoxy  within  our  ranks,  as  within 
the  ranks  of  any  of  those  who  endeavor  to  enter  into 
a  more  minute  investigation  of  doctrinal  belief.  This 
however  is  but  one  requirement  at  Baptism,  and  con- 
cerns the  intellect  only.  There  are  others,  also,  which 
refer  directly  to  the  heart  and  the  life. 

Another  question  then  is — "  Dost  thou  renounce 
the  devil  and  all  his  works,  the  vain  pomp  and  glory 
of  the  world,  with  all  covetous  desires  of  the  same, 
and  the  sinful  desires  of  the  flesh  ;  so  that  thou  wilt 
not  follow,  nor  be  led  by  them?"  To  which,  the 
answer  is  given — "  I  renounce  them  all ;  and,  by 
God's  help,  will  endeavor  not  to  follow,  nor  be  led  by 
them."  Now,  how  can  a  more  perfect  vow  of  renun- 
ciation be  uttered  ?  The  individual  who  thus  wishes 
to  "  put  on  Christ" — standing  here  before  God,  and 
in  the  presence  of  His  people,  looks  back  at  a  world 
of  sin,  with  which  heretofore  he  has  been  leagued, 
and  then  solemnly  abandons  it ;  recording  his  deci- 
sion, that  for  the  future  he  "  will  not  follow  nor  be  led 
by  it." 

But  the  Church  even  goes  farther,  and  puts  one 
more  question — "  Wilt  thou  then  obediently  keep 
God's  holy  will  and  commandments,  and  walk  in  the 
same  all  the  days  of  thy  life  ?"  To  which  the  re- 
quired answer  is — "  I  will,  by  God's  help."  Let  me 
ask  you,  therefore,  to  weigh  these  pledges,  and  then 
tell  me,  where  is  there  any  body  of  persons  calling 


® 


® ® 

330  POPULAR    OBJECTIONS 

themselves  Christians,  who  more  strictly  oblige  those 
uniting  with  them  to  discard  an  evil  world,  and  de- 
vote themselves  to  the  service  of  God  ?  How  futile 
then  is  this  objection  against  us  ! 

Again,  a  fourth  objection  often  urged  is — that  we 
receive  persons  lightly  and  hastily  to  the  Sacrament 
of  the  Lord's  Supper.  Look  then  at  our  Communion 
Service,  and  see  its  requirements.  Like  those  in  the 
Baptismal  vows,  they  also  are  simple,  yet  comprehen- 
sive. The  priest  is  directed  to  say — "  Dearly  belov- 
ed in  the  Lord,  ye  who  mind  to  come  to  the  Holy 
Communion  of  the  Body  and  Blood  of  our  Saviour 
Christ,  must  consider  how  St.  Paul  exhorteth  all  per- 
sons diligently  to  try  and  examine  themselves,  before 
they  presume  to  eat  of  that  bread,  and  drink  of  that 
cup.  For  as  the  benefit  is  great,  if  with  a  true  peni- 
tent heart  and  lively  faith  we  receive  that  holy  sacra- 
ment, so  is  the  danger  great,  if  we  receive  the  same 
unworthily.  Judge  therefore  yourselves,  brethren, 
that  ye  be  not  judged  of  the  Lord  ;  repent  ye  truly 
for  your  sins  past;  have  a  lively  and  steadfast  faith 
in  Christ  our  Saviour ;  amend  your  lives,  and  be  in 
perfect  charity  with  all  men :  so  shall  ye  be  meet 
partakers  of  those  holy  mysteries."  Can  any  one, 
then,  hearing  this  solemn  invitation,  and  realizing  its 
force,  come  forward  lightly  ?  Or,  supposing  that  he 
should  do  so,  is  the  Church  to  be  blamed?  Certainly 
not ;  he  has  the  requirements  before  him,  and  the 
responsibility  rests  with  himself 

The  rule  then  with  us  is  this.     Since  all  baptized 

® ® 


® ® 

AGAINST    THE    CHURCH.  331 

persons  are  members  of  the  Church,  we  regard  them 
as  having  a  right  to  come  forward  to  Communion,  if 
they  are  giving  evidence  by  their  daily  walk,  of  the 
existence  of  Christian  character.  If,  however,  they 
have  been  baptized  in  infancy,  there  is  yet  a  prepara- 
tory step  which  they  must  take.  They  must  first 
publicly  assume  those  vows  for  themselves,  or  at  least 
show  their  willingness  to  do  so.  This,  as  we  have 
shown  in  the  last  lecture,  takes  place  at  Confirma- 
tion. And  the  Rubric  declares — "  There  shall  none 
be  admitted  to  the  Holy  Communion,  until  such  time 
as  he  be  confirmed,  or  be  ready  and  desirous  to  be 
confirmed." 

Is  it  not  evident,  therefore,  that  any  one  who  can 
go  through  the  solemn  service  by  which  he  thus  pub- 
licly assumes  and  ratifies  his  Baptismal  vows,  devot- 
ing himself  willingly  to  the  service  of  God,  must  be 
prepared  for  the  Holy  Communion?  At  all  events, 
we  can  have  no  better  security  with  regard  to  him, 
than  this  ordeal.  If,  therefore,  after  seriously  weigh- 
ing the  matter,  he  has  passed  through  it,  or  professes 
to  be  ready  to  pass  through  it,  we  have  no  right  to 
debar  him  from  the  Christian  privilege  which  his 
Lord  has  provided,  of  partaking  of  His  body  and  blood. 
The  Church,  therefore,  takes  the  power  out  of  the 
hands  of  her  ministers,  and  throws  the  responsibility 
upon  the  individual  himself  She  bids  us  explain  to 
him  this  holy  rite,  lay  the  requirements  before  him, 
and  then  he  is  left  to  form  his  own  decision.  We 
may  advise  him,  but  we  have  no  power  to  investigate 

®- ^® 


® __ ® 

332  POPULAR    OBJECTIONS 

his  heart,  or  to  penetrate  into  the  nature  of  those 
hidden,  sacred  feelings,  which  rest  between  his  God 
and  himself. 

The  only  case  in  which  we  have  authority  to 
debar  an  individual  from  communion  is,  (as  stated  in 
the  Rubric,)  "if  among  those  who  come  to  be  par- 
takers of  the  Holy  Communion,  the  minister  shall 
know  any  to  be  an  open  and  notorious  evil  liver,  or 
to  have  done  any  wrong  to  his  neighbors  by  word  or 
deed,  so  that  the  congregation  be  thereby  offended ; 
he  shall  advertise  him,  that  he  presume  not  to  come 
to  the  Lord's  table,  until  he  have  openly  declared 
himself  to  have  repented  and  amended  his  former  evil 
life,  that  the  congregation  may  thereby  be  satisfied ; 
and  that  he  hath  recompensed  the  parties  to  which  he 
hath  done  wrong;  or  at  least  declare  himself  to  be  in 
fiill  purpose  to  do  so,  as  soon  as  he  conveniently  may. 
The  same  order  shall  the  minister  use  with  those, 
betwixt  whom  he  perceiveth  malice  and  hatred  to 
reign;  not  suffering  them  to  be  partakers  of  the 
Lord's  Table,  until  he  know  them  to  be  reconciled. 
And  if  one  of  the  parties  so  at  variance  be  content  to 
forgive  from  the  bottom  of  his  heart  all  that  the  other 
hath  trespassed  against  him,  and  to  make  amends  for 
that  wherein  he  himself  hath  offended  ;  and  the  other 
party  will  not  be  persuaded  to  a  godly  unity,  but  re- 
main still  in  his  forwardness  and  malice;  the  minister 
in  that  case  ought  to  admit  the  penitent  person  to 
the  Holy  Communion,  and  not  him  that  is  obstinate. 
Provided  that  every  minister  so  repelling  any,  as  is 
(S) — ® 


_ _ , o 

AGAINST    THE    CHURCH.  333 

herein  specified,  shall  be  obliged  to  give  an  account 
of  the  same  to  the  ordinary,  as  soon  as  conveniently 
may  be."  In  these  cases,  we  have  of  course  the 
overt  act — the  outward  conduct — by  which  to  judge. 
There  can,  therefore,  be  no  doubt  on  the  subject, 
and  we  act  with  certainty  in  cutting  off  the  un- 
worthy member. 

And  now,  is  not  this  reasonable?  If  an  indi- 
vidual has  been  by  baptism  solemnly  admitted  into  the 
Church  of  Christ — unless  he  should  show  beyond 
doubt,  by  his  outward  conduct,  that  he  is  unworthy 
of  the  privilege — have  I,  or  any  one  else,  authority 
to  debar  him  from  a  Sacrament  which  his  Lord  has 
provided  to  sustain  and  strengthen  him  ?  After  the 
Jews  were  admitted  into  their  Church  by  circum- 
cision, was  any  priest  gifted  with  power  to  prevent 
them  from  partaking  of  the  Passover,  until  he  should 
think  him  prepared?  And  if  the  baptized  Christian, 
in  addition  to  this,  after  having  arrived  at  years  of 
discretion,  professes  his  willingness  to  stand  up  pub- 
licly before  the  Church  in  Confirmation,  to  take 
these  solemn  baptismal  vows  upon  himself,  and  then 
is  able  also,  after  listening  to  the  searching  test  pro- 
posed in  our  Communion  service,  to  come  forward, 
where  is  the  fallible  man  who  shall  dare  to  read  his 
heart,  and  say  that  he  is  not  prepared  ?  By  what  ex- 
amination can  we  arrive  at  any  certainty  on  this 
point?  An  individual  may  have  the  grace  of  God 
in  his  heart,  and  yet  be  unable  clearly^o  disclose  his 
feelings,  or  embody  them  in  language.     On  the  other 

15* 

. ® 


334  POPULAR    OBJECTIONS 

hand,  the  self-deceiver,  or  the  wilful  hypocrite,  may 
be  gifted  with  a  volubility  which  shall  set  the  most 
severe  scrutiny  at  defiance.  Each  minister  of  the 
Church  has,  therefore,  reason  to  be  thankful  that 
this  power  rests  not  in  his  hands,  lest  at  the  last  day 
it  might  appear  that  in  some  cases  he  had  been  mis- 
taken, and  had  debarred  from  that  spiritual  feast 
some  of  the  little  ones  of  Christ's  flock.  We  may 
well  shrink  from  this  responsibility,  and  rejoice  that 
it  is  taken  away  from  us,  and  placed  upon  the  indi- 
viduals themselves  who  wish  to  come  forward. 

Another  objection  which  it  may  be  well  briefly  to 
notice  is — that  the  Church  does  not  believe  in  what  is 
called  "  a  change  of  heart."  To  this  we  reply,  that 
she  nowhere,  it  is  true,  uses  this  term  in  her  formu- 
laries. Neither,  indeed,  is  it  to  be  found  in  the 
Bible.  It  is  not,  of  course,  to  be  expected  that  a 
Liturgy  framed  more  than  a  thousand  years  ago  should 
now  have  engrafted  upon  its  rich  and  beautiful  ser- 
vices, the  shifting,  changing  phraseology,  with  which 
the  religious  world  around  chooses  in  this  day  to  ex- 
press its  views.  Her  object  rather  is,  to  shun  every 
thing  modern  and  evanescent,  and  to  cleave  steadfastly 
to  those  old  expressions  which,  drawn  originally  from 
the  solemn  language  of  Holy  Writ,  have  come  down 
generation  after  generation  among  her  children,  always 
"  familiar  in  their  mouths  as  household  words." 

But  that  the  Church  requires  her  children  to  be 
renewed,  renovated,  and  sanctified  by  the  Holy  Ghost, 
as  requisite  for  membership  with  her,  while  militant 

® ® 


— ■ ® 

AGAINST    THE    CHURCH.  335 

here,  or  in  glory  hereafter,  no  one  can  doubt  who 
has  ever  read  her  offices.  She  everywhere  teaches 
the  truth,  that  "  without  holiness  no  man  shall  see 
the  Lord."  She  constantly  seeks  to  draw  men  away 
from  dependence  on  their  own  changing  feelings,  or 
the  delusive  visions  of  the  imagination.  She  pre- 
sents before  them  tests  of  Christian  character  which 
are  real  and  tangible,  calling  them  to  self-denial  and 
a  holy  life.  On  this  principle  every  page  of  our 
Prayer-Book  has  been  framed,  and  we  might  prove  it 
from  each  of  her  services,  or  from  the  general  spirit 
and  tenor  of  her  prayers.  We  content  ourselves, 
however,  with  merely  quoting  the  collect  for  Ash- 
Wednesday — "  Almighty  and  Everlasting  God,  who 
hatest  nothing  that  Thou  hast  made,  and  dost  forgive 
the  sins  of  all  those  who  are  penitent ;  create,  and  make 
in  us  neto  and  contrite  hearts,  that  we,  worthily  la- 
menting our  sins,  and  acknowledging  our  wretched- 
ness, may  obtain  of  Thee,  the  God  of  all  mercy,  per- 
fect remission  and  forgiveness,  through  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord." 

There  is  but  one  more  objection  which  our  limits 
will  allow  us  to  bring  forward.  It  is — that  the  standard 
of  religious  feeling  is  low  among  the  manbers  of  the 
Church.  How  this  conclusion  is  reached,  I  know 
not ;  for  I  cannot  perceive  but  that  they  walk  as  con- 
sistently as  others,  who  are  called  by  a  different  name. 
It  is  a  question,  therefore,  entirely  intangible,  and  I 
cannot  pretend  to  discuss  the  amount  of  religion 
among  the  members  of  the  Church,  as  compared  with 

^. _ — . ® 


® ■ ® 

336  POPULAR    OBJECTIONS 

Other  religious  bodies  around,  for  God  has  not  given 
me  the  power  thus  to  judge  the  heart.  Neither  can 
I  presume  to  forestall  His  final  sentence,  and  decide 
on  the  spiritual  condition  of  my  neighbors.  "  For 
we  dare  not  make  ourselves  of  the  number,  or  com- 
pare ourselves  with  some  that  commend  themselves ; 
but  they  measuring  themselves  by  themselves,  and 
comparing  themselves  among  themselves,  are  not 
wise.""  On  such  topics  the  Christian  rule  is — to  fear 
every  thing  for  ourselves,  and  to  hope  every  thing  for 
others.  We  would  merely  warn  you,  however,  that 
talking  about  religion,  is  not  religion  itself;  and  that 
there  is  a  wide  difference  between  possessing  an 
elevated  degree  of  devotion,  and  being  familiar  with 
its  language,  and  having  it  ever  on  our  lips.  The 
Church  tells  her  members,  that  their  daily  lives  must 
be  the  test — that  in  silence  and  quiet  they  must,  by 
the  aid  of  God's  grace,  train  themselves  up  for  Heav- 
en ;  and  not  be  forming  erroneous  conclusions  with 
respect  to  others.  Her  direction  is  that  which  was 
once  given  by  an  Apostle — "  Judge  nothing  before 
the  time,  until  the  Lord  come." 

In  such  cases,  it  is  well  to  follow  that  proverb 
given  by  Solomon — "  Let  another  man  praise  thee, 
and  not  thine  own  mouth  ;  a  stranger,  and  not  thine 
own  lips."  What,  then,  is  the  reputation  of  the 
Church  with  those  whose  opinion  is  worth  heeding  ? 
Has  she  "  a  good  report  of  them  which  are  without?" 

X   2  Cor.  X.  12. 
®__ __ — . — . . ® 


® __ ^® 

AGAINST    THE    CHURCH.  337 

We  know  that  the  storm  of  vituperation  is  constantly 
directed  against  her,  yet  amidst  the  uproar  we  can 
gather  the  testimony  of  the  more  thoughtful  and  con- 
siderate. Let  us  attempt  then  to  do  so.  The  Puritans 
of  New-England — the  first  settlers  of  Massachusetts 
— are  generally  quoted,  as  having  been  arrayed  in 
deadly  hostility  against  the  Church  of  England.  We 
are  told,  that  they  were  driven  from  their  own  pleas- 
ant homes  by  religious  corruption  and  ecclesiastical 
tyranny ;  and  obliged  to  fly  to  the  wilderness  of  this 
western  world,  that  here  they  might  worship  God  in 
purity.  Was  this  the  case?  We  can  answer  the 
question,  by  referring  to  the  letter  written  by  the 
leading  men  in  that  enterprise,  ''  aboord  the  Arbella, 
April  7,  1630,"  and  signed  by  Gov.  John  Winthrop, 
Rich.  Saltonstall,  Charles  Fines,  Isaac  Johnson,  Tho. 
Dudley,  William  Coddington,  Geo.  Phillips,  &-c.,  &c. 
As  they  were  about  to  launch  forth  upon  the  deep,  and 
direct  their  course  for  that  "  rock-bound  coast" 
which  was  to  be  their  future  home,  they  once  more 
looked  back,  and  sent  their  parting  farewell  to  the 
Church  they  were  leaving.  From  her  care  they  had 
voluntarily  cut  themselves  off.  If  formerly  oppressed 
by  her,  they  had  now  nothing  more  to  fear.  What, 
then,  were  their  emotions  ?  As  they  listened  to  the 
surging  sea  on  whose  bosom  they  were  soon  to  be 
tossing,  did  no  sound  of  the  sweet  anthems  of  their 
ancient  Mother  come  back,  and  seem  to  mingle  with 
the  sighing  of  the  wild  winds  which  were  sweeping 
around  them  ?     Did  there  not  flit  across  the  eyes  of 

® ® 


® — ® 

338  POPULAR    OBJECTIONS 

any  of  those  stern  men,  a  bright  vision  of  the  old 
Parish  Church,  at  whose  font  he  had  been  baptized — 
at  whose  altar  he  had  received  his  bride — and  within 
the  shadow  of  whose  walls  his  forefathers  were  sleep- 
ing? Did  they  not  realize,  that  the  very  strength 
which  now  upheld  them  in  their  hours  of  darkness, 
had  been  gathered  in  her  Courts  ?  Such  is  the  in- 
ference we  draw  from  their  address,  entitled — 

The  humble  request  of  his  Majesties  loyall  Subjects, 
the  Governour  and  the  Company  late  gone  for  New- 
England  ;  to  the  rest  of  their  Brethren  in  and  of 
the  Church  of  England. 
"  Reverend  Fathers  and  Brethren,  ....  We 
desire  you  would  be  pleased  to  take  notice  of  the 
principals,  and  body  of  our  Company,  as  those  who 
esteeme  it  our  honour  to  call  the  Church  of  England, 
from  whence  wee  rise,  our  deare  mother,  and  cannot 
part  from  our  native  countrie,  where  she  specially 
resideth,  without  much  sadness  of  heart,  and  many 
tears  in  our  eyes ;  ever  acknowledging  that  such  hope 
and  part  as  we  have  obtained  in  the  common  salvation, 
wee  have  received  in  her  bosome,  and  suckt  it  from  her 
breasts :  wee  leave  it  not,  therefore,  as  loathing  that 
milk  wherewith  we  were  nourished  there,  but,  blessing 
God  for  the  parentage  and  education,  as  members  of 
the  same  body,  shall  alwayes  rejoice  in  her  good,  and 
unfainedly  grieve  for  any  sorrow  that  shall  ever  be- 
tide her,  and  while  we  have  breath,  syncerely  desire 
and  indeavour  the  continuance  and  abundance  of  her 

®. ® 


■® 


AGAINST    THE    CHURCH.  339 

welfare,  with  the  inlargement  of  her  bounds  in  the 

Kingdom  of  Christ  Jesvs So  farre 

as  God  shall  enable  us,  we  will  give  him  no  rest  in 
your  behalfes ;  wishing  our  heads  and  hearts  may  be 
as  fountaines  of  tears  for  your  everlasting  welfare, 
when  wee  shall  be  in  our  poore  cottages  in  the  wilder- 
nesse,  overshadowed  with  the  Spirit  of  supplication, 
through  the  manifold  necessities  and  tribulations 
which  may  not  altogether  unexpectedly,  nor,  we  hope, 
unprofitably,  befall  us.  And  so,  commending  you  to 
the  grace  of  God  in  Christ,  wee  shall  ever  rest, 

"  Your  assured  friends  and  Brethren. "'^ 

How  beautiful  is  this  testimony  !  thus  acknow- 
ledging gratefully  the  spiritual  benefits  they  had  re- 
ceived within  the  fold  of  our  Mother  Church — 
ascribing  to  the  purity  of  her  faith  and  the  soundness 
of  her  instructions,  the  hope  of  everlasting  life  which 
they  then  enjoyed — and  praying  earnestly  for  the  en- 
largement of  her  bounds.  How  do  their  words  re- 
buke the  carping  spirit  of  too  many  among  their 
descendants ! 

Our  next  witness  is  Dr.  Adam  Clarke,  the  author 
of  the  Commentary  on  the  Bible,  and  one  of  the 
brightest  lights  of  the  Methodist  connection.  "  I 
consider" — he  says — "  the  Church  of  England,  the 
purest  national  Church  in  the  world.  I  was  brought 
up  in  its  bosom.  I  was  intended  for  its  ministry.  I 
have  been  a  Methodist  for  half  a  century.     I  have 

V   Gov.  Hutchinson's  Hist,  of  Massachusetts,  (Appcndi.x 
No.  ],)  V.  i.  p.  431. 


-® 


®__ . ® 

340  POPULAR    OBJECTIONS 

been  a  preacher  for  forty-three  years.  And  I  am 
greatly  deceived  indeed,  if  I  be  not,  without  any 
abatement,  a  thorough  member  of  the  Church  of 
England.  Its  doctrines  and  its  sacraments,  which 
constitute  the  essence  of  a  Church,  I  hold  conscien- 
tiously as  it  holds  them.  I  reverence  the  Liturgy 
next  to  the  Bible.  I  proclaim  its  doctrines  and  ad- 
minister its  sacraments,  not  only  in  the  same  spirit  in 
which  it  holds  and  administers  them,  but  also  in  the 
same  words  or  form.  I  also  reverence  its  orders,  and 
highly  esteem  its  hierarchy,  and  have  not  a  particle 
of  a  dissenter  in  me  ;  though  I  love  and  esteem  all 
good  men  and  able  ministers,  wherever  I  find  them. 
But  I  preach,  and  have  long  preached,  without  any 
kind  of  Episcopal  orders.  My  family  fell  into  decay, 
and  my  education  was  left  imperfect.  I  would  greatly 
have  preferred  the  hands  of  the  Bishop,  but  not  having 
gone  through  the  regular  courses,  I  could  not  claim 
it.  Even  now,  at  this  age  of  comparative  decrepitude, 
I  would  rejoice  to  have  that  ordination,  if  I  might, 
with  it,  have  the  full  liberty  to  preach  Jesus,  wherever 
I  could  find  souls  perishing  for  lack  of  knowledge. 
....  The  Church  has  our  warm  attachment,  and 
if  the  time  should  ever  come,  which  Dieu  ne  plaise  ! 
that  the  bodies  of  the  various  dissenters  were  to  rise 
up  against  the  Church,  the  vast  bodies  of  Methodists 
I  would  not  hesitate  to  be  your  light  infantry.'"' 
I  Hear  also  the  sentiments  of  the  celebrated  Dr. 
I 

I  z    Christian  Guardian,  Dec.  1832. 

I 


® _____ ® 

AGAINST    THE    CHURCH.  341 

Chalmers  of  Scotland — "  There  are  many  wlio  look 
with  an  evil  eye  to  the  endowments  of  the  English 
Church,  and  to  the  indolence  of  her  dignitaries.  But 
to  that  Church,  the  theological  literature  of  our  nation 
stands  indebted  for  her  best  acquisitions.  And  we 
hold  it  a  refreshing  spectacle,  at  any  time,  that  meagre 
Socinianism  pours  forth  a  new  supply  of  flippancies 
and  errors,  when  we  behold,  as  we  have  often  done, 
an  armed  champion  come  forth  in  full  equipment, 
from  some  high  and  lettered  retreat  of  that  noble 
hierarchy.  Nor  can  we  grudge  her  the  wealth  of  her 
endowments,  when  we  think  how  well,  under  her 
venerable  auspices,  the  battles  of  orthodoxy  have  been 
fought ;  that,  in  this  holy  warfare,  they  are  her  sons 
and  her  scholars,  who  are  ever  foremost  in  the  field, 
ready  at  all  times  to  face  the  threatened  mischief,  and 
by  the  weight  of  their  erudition  to  overthrow  it.'" 

Similar  to  this  is  the  testimony  of  another  in  the 
same  land — "  Thus  much  an  attached  Presbyterian 
may  sincerely  and  readily  say  of  the  Church  of 
England  :  It  is  a  noble  and  venerable  hierarchy.  Its 
foundations  are  laid  deep  in  the  old  feelings  of  the 
people.  Its  clergy,  mingling  the  accomplishments  of 
the  aristocracy  with  the  condescension  of  Christian 
pastors,  rivet  together  the  different  ranks  of  society, 
as  with  crossing  bars  of  iron.  Its  bishops  have  ex- 
hibited, many  of  ihem,  the  pomp  of  the  prelate  in 
beautiful  unison  with  the  spirit  of  Christ's  meekest 

a   Quarterly  Review,  Deo.  1832. 

® 


®- — ® 

342  POPULAR    OBJECTIONS 

martyr.  Its  massive  learning  is  the  bulwark  of 
Christianity.  Its  exquisite  Liturgy,  second  in  divine 
composition  only  to  Scripture  itself,  ready  at  all  times 
to  supply  the  needs  of  the  fainting  soul,  and  fitted,  in 
its  comprehensive  devotions,  aptly  to  embody  every 
different  individual  aspiration,  binds  in  one  chain  of 
prayer  the  hearts  of  its  members,  and  the  hearts  of 
generation  after  generation.  From  its  pulpits,  no 
longer  occupied  by  slumbering  vs^atchmen,  the  true 
doctrines  of  the  Cross  are  proclaimed,  as  with  the 
sound  of  a  trumpet.  The  costliest  offerings  for  the 
cause  of  Christ  are  poured  in  generous  profusion  into 
the  treasury.  The  zeal  of  the  missionary,  that  finest 
token  of  apostolic  origin,  has  awoke  within  its  bosom ; 
and  bishops  are  going  forth,  making  of  the  crozier  a 
pilgrim  staff,  in  order  to  proclaim  amongst  the  Gentiles 
the  good  tidings  of  salvation.  Well  might  the  mem- 
bers of  any  other  communion  excuse  the  generous 
feeling  which  would  awake  those  words  of  holy  writ, 
concerning  her  whom  the  best  of  her  sons  have  re- 
joiced to  call  their  Mother  Church  of  England, 
'  Many  daughters  have  done  virtuously,  but  thou  ex- 
cellest  them  all.'  "^ 

And  such  also  is  the  feeling  of  many  in  our  own 
country,  who,  although  arrayed  against  us,  can  yet 
acknowledge  the  beauty  of  the  Church's  system,  and 
pay  their  proper  tribute  to  the  services  she  has  ren- 
dered the  world.     Read,  for  example,  the  words  of 

b  A  Tract  for  the  Times,  by  William  Penny,  Advocate, 
of  Edinburgh. 

®- — -® 


® ® 

AGAINST    THE    CHURCH,  343 

Dr.  Barnes  of  Philadelphia — the  more  valuable  be- 
cause written  in  the  midst  of  a  controversy.  "  We 
have  no  war  to  wage  with  Episcopacy.  We  know, 
we  deeply  feel,  that  much  may  be  said  in  favor  of  it, 
apart  from  the  claim  which  has  been  set  up  for  its 
authority  from  the  New  Testament.  Its  past  history, 
in  some  respects,  makes  us  weep ;  in  others,  it  is  the 

source  of  sincere  rejoicing  and  praise We 

associate  it  with  the  brightest  and  happiest  days  of 
religion,  and  liberty,  and  literature,  and  law.  We 
remember  that  it  was  under  the  Episcopacy  that  the 
Church  in  England  took  its  firm  stand  against  the 
Papacy  ;  and  that  this  was  its  form  when  Zion  rose 
to  light  and  splendor,  from  the  dark  night  of  ages. 
We  remember  the  name  of  Cranmer — Cranmer,  first 
in  many  respects  among  the  Reformers ;  that  it  was 
by  his  steady  and  unerring  hand,  that,  under  God, 
the  pure  Church  of  the  Saviour  was  conducted 
through  the  agitating  and  distressing  times  of  Henry 
VIII.  We  remember  that  God  watched  over  that 
wonderful  man  ;  that  He  gave  this  distinguished  pre- 
late access  to  the  heart  of  one  of  the  most  capricious, 
cruel,  inexorable,  blood-thirsty,  and  licentious  mon- 
archs  that  has  disgraced  the  world  ;  that  God,  for  the 
sake  of  Cranmer  and  His  Church,  conducted  Henry, 
as  '  by  a  hook  in  the  nose,'  and  made  him  faithful  to 
the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  when  faithful  to  none 
else;  so  that,  perhaps,  the  only  redeeming  trait  in  the 
character  of  Henry,  is  his  fidelity  to  this  first  British 
prelate  under  the  Reformation.     The  world  will  not 

g) 


® ® 

344  POPULAR    OBJECTIONS 

soon  forget  the  names  of  Latimer,  and  Ridley,  and 
Rodgers,  and  Bradford ;  names  associated  in  the 
feelings  of  Christians,  with  the  long  list  of  ancient 
confessors  '  of  whom  the  world  was  not  worthy,'  and 
who  did  honor  to  entire  ages  of  mankind,  by  sealing 
their  attachment  to  the  Son  of  God  on  the  rack,  or 
amid  the  flames.  Nor  can  we  forget  that  we  owe  to 
Episcopacy  that  which  fills  our  minds  with  gratitude 
and  praise,  when  we  look  for  example  of  consecrated 
talent,  and  elegant  literature,  and  humble  devoted 
piety.  While  men  honor  elevated  Christian  feeling  ; 
while  they  revere  sound  learning ,  while  they  render 
tribute  to  clear  and  profound  reasoning,  they  will  not 
forget  the  names  of  Barrow  and  Taylor,  of  Tillotson, 
and  Hooker,  and  Butler  ;  and  when  they  think  of 
humble,  pure,  sweet,  heavenly  piety,  their  minds  will 
recur  instinctively  to  the  name  of  Leighton.  Such 
names,  with  a  host  of  others,  do  honor  to  the  world. 
When  we  think  of  them,  we  have  it  not  in  our  hearts 
to  utter  one  word  against  a  Church  which  has  thus 
done  honor  to  our  race,  and  to  our  common  Chris- 
tianity. 

"  Such  we  wish  Episcopacy  still  to  be.  We  have 
always  thought  that  there  are  Christian  minds  and 
hearts  that  would  find  more  edification  in  the  forms 
of  worship  in  that  Church,  than  in  any  other.  We 
regard  it  as  adapted  to  call  forth  Christian  energy, 
that  might  otherwise  be  dormant We  our- 
selves could  live  and  labor,  in  friendliness  and  love,  in 
the  bosom  of  the  Episcopal  Church.     While  we  have 

® ® 


® 

AGAINST    THE    CHURCH.  345 

an  honest  preference  for  another  department  of  the 
great  field  of  Christian  action ;  while  providential 
circumstances,  and  the  suggestions  of  our  own  hearts 
and  minds,  have  conducted  us  to  a  different  field  of 
labor  ;  we  have  never  doubted  that  many  of  the  purest 
flames  of  devotion  that  rise  from  the  earth,  ascend 
from  the  altars  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  that 
many  of  the  purest  spirits  that  the  earth  contains 
minister  at  those  altars,  or  breathe  forth  their  prayers 
and  praises  in  language  consecrated  by  the  use  of 
piety  for  centuries."" 

"  She  [the  Church]  is  consolidated ;  well  mar- 
shalled; under  an  efficient  system  of  laws;  and  pre- 
eminently fitted  for  powerful  action  in  the  field  of 
Christian  warfare.  We  desire  to  see  her  what  the 
Macedonian  phalanx  was  in  the  ancient  army ;  with 
her  dense,  solid  organization,  with  her  unity  of  move- 
ment, with  her  power  of  maintaining  the  position 
which  she  takes,  and  with  her  eminent  ability  to  ad- 
vance the  cause  of  sacred  learning,  and  the  love  of 
order  and  of  law,  attending  or  leading  all  other 
Churches  in  the  conquests  of  redemption  in  an 
alienated  world.  We  would  ever  rejoice  to  see  her 
who  was  first  in  the  field  at  the  Reformation  in  Eng- 
land, first  also  in  the  field  when  the  Son  of  God 
shall  come  to  take  to  Himself  His  great  power." 

"  We  remember  the  former  services  which  the 
Episcopal  Church  rendered  to  the  cause  of  truth,  and 
of  the  world's  redemption  ;  we  remember   the  bright 

c   Episcopacy  Examined,  pp.  89 — 91. 
® 


® ® 

346  POPULAR    OBJECTIONS 

and  ever-living  lights  of  truth,  which  her  clergy  and 
her  illustrious  laymen  have  in  other  times  enkindled 
in  the  darkness  of  this  world's  history,  and  which 
continue  to  pour  their  pure  and  steady  lustre  on  the 
literature,  the  laws,  and  the  customs  of  the  Christian 
world  ;  and  we  trust  the  day  will  never  come,  when 
our  own  bosoms,  or  the  bosoms  of  Christians  in  any 
denomination,  will  cease  to  beat  with  emotions  of 
lofty  thanksgiving  to  the  God  of  grace,  that  He  rais- 
ed up  such  gifted  and  holy  men,  to  meet  the  corrup- 
tions of  the  Papacy,  and  to  breast  the  wickedness  of 
the  world."-^ 

Beautiful  indeed  are  these  testimonies  to  the 
purity  and  devotion  of  our  venerable  Church  !  We 
point  then  to  such  acknowledgments  as  an  appropri- 
ate answer  to  those  who,  unacquainted  with  her  past 
history,  and  ignorant  of  the  spirit  which  now  reigns 
within  her  courts,  would  charge  upon  the  members 
of  the  Church,  a  want  of  religious  principle. 

We  have  thus  endeavored  to  notice  some  of  the 
prominent  arguments  urged  against  the  Church.  Do 
they  not  come  from  those  who — in  the  words  of  the 
Apostle — "  understand  neither  what  they  say,  nor 
whereof  they  affirm  V  There  are  other  objections, 
also,  which  might  be  brought  forward ;  but  the  time 
would  fail,  were  we  to  attempt  to  reply  to  every  thing 
which  ignorance  or  captiousness  may  allege.  All 
indeed  that  we  ask,  is  investigation.  We  know  that 
the  Church  which  our  Lord  founded,  and  which  now 
d  Ibid.  p.  170. 
® ® 


® . ® 

AGAINST    THE    CHURCH.  347 

comes  down  to  us  with  the  veneration  of  eighteen 
centuries,  cannot  be  found  wanting  in  any  one  single 
point  which  concerns  man's  spiritual  welfare.  We 
will  trust  her,  therefore,  in  preference  to  any  of  the 
shifting,  changing  experiments  which  court  our  no- 
tice. From  the  many  ages  that  have  gone,  there 
comes  down  to  us  the  recorded  experience  of  those 
who  have  slept  in  the  faith — the  holy  dead,  whose 
words  and  actions  still  speak  to  the  world,  urging  it 
on  to  godliness — and  whose  spirits  are  now  rejoicing 
in  the  Paradise  of  God.  We  question  them,  therefore, 
as  to  the  way  in  which  they  reached  their  lofty  stand 
in  holiness.  We  ask  them  to  point  out  to  us  the 
path  in  which  we  should  tread.  And  their  answer  is 
uttered  in  the  words  of  the  prophet — "  Stand  ye  in 
the  ways,  and  see,  and  ask  for  the  old  paths,  where 
is  the  good  way,  and  walk  therein,  and  ye  shall  find 
rest  for  your  souls."  We  learn,  that  they  were  nur- 
tured in  the  bosom  of  our  ancient  Church,  who  re- 
gards all,  the  high  and  the  low,  as  alike  her  children, ° 

e  "  Our  Mother,  the  Churcli,  hath  never  a  child. 

To  honor  before  the  rest, 
And  she  singeth  the  same  for  mighty  kings, 

And  the  veriest  babe  on  her  breast; 
And  the  Bishop  goes  down  to  his  narrow  bed 

As  tlie  ploughman's  cliild  is  laid, 
And  alike  she  blesseth  the  dark  brow'd  serf, 

And  the  chief  in  his  robe  arrayed. 
She  sprinkles  the  drops  of  the  bright  new-birth, 

The  same  on  the  low  and  high, 

® 


® 

348  POPULAR    OBJECTIONS 

—that  in  her  solemn  rites  and  services  they  found  all 
the  spiritual  aliment  necessary  for  their  souls,  and 
thus  were  prepared  for  the  Church  in  glory. 

Let  us  then  profit  by  their  example.  As  we  travel 
on  our  way,  each  year  convulses  the  religious  world 
with  a  new  excitement,  and  gives  birth  to  some  plan 
for  leading  the  lost  to  the  truth,  which,  in  the  judg- 
ment of  erring  man,  is  better  than  that  practised  by 
Apostles  and  Saints  in  primitive  days — more  effect- 
ual than  that  by  which  the  early  heralds  of  the  Cross 
broke  the  power  of  heathenism,  and  Christianized 
the  world.  Those  deep  and  searching  sorrows  by 
which  the  contrite  heart  turns  to  its  Lord,  and  thus, 
as  in  a  furnace  of  fire,  purifies  the  whole  man,  are 
all  now  derided,  as  something  formal  and  antiquated. 
In  their  place,  new  machinery  is  invented,  which,  by 
one  sudden,  violent  effort,  sweeps  the  abandoned 
sinner  from  the  depth  of  his  degradation,  and  ele- 
vates him  immediately  to  the  very  heights  of  Mount 
Zion.  Peace,  rather  than  holiness,  is  made  the  end 
and  object  of  their  search. 

But  oh,  be  not  ye  deceived,  or  believe  that  any 
thing  can  be  substituted  in  place  of  that  discipline — 
that  holy  training,  which   gradually,  yet   surely,  pre- 

And  christens  their  bodies  with  dust  to  dust, 

When  earth  with  its  earth  must  lie  ; 
Oh,  the  poor  man' s  friend,  is  the  Church  of  Christ, 

From  birth  to  his  funeral  day  ; 
She  makes  him  the  Lord's,  in  her  surpliced  arms, 

And  singeth  his  burial  lay." 

Rev.  A.  C.  Coxe. 

® 


®- 


-® 


AGAINST    THE    CHURCH. 


349 


pares  for  Heaven,  and  which  it  is  the  object  of  the 
Church  to  effect  by  her  constantly  recurring  round 
of  services.  Voices  on  every  side  are  summoning 
you  to  leave  the  fold  of  the  faithful.  The  restless 
and  unsettled  are  ever  pointing  out  new  paths,  and 
exclaiming,  "  Lo,  here,"  and  "  Lo,  there."  They 
cry  with  regard  to  our  Lord — "  Behold,  He  is  in  the 
desert,"  and  thus  would  induce  you  to  be  wanderers 
with  them  in  the  pathless  wilderness.  We  say  there- 
fore unto  you,  in  that  Master's  words — "  Believe  it 
not.  For  there  shall  arise  false  Christs,  and  false 
prophets,  and  shall  show  great  signs  and  wonders ; 
insomuch  that  if  it  were  possible,  they  shall  deceive 
the  very  elect,"  Not  in  the  whirlwind  and  the  storm 
is  it,  that  faith  takes  root,  and  godliness  grows  up  in 
strength.  It  is  beneath  the  gentle  dews  of  divine 
grace,  which  fall  silently  yet  steadily,  that  the  vine- 
yard is  quickened  into  fertility.  The  whisperings  of 
"  the  still,  small  voice,"  lead  us  on  to  peace  and  hap- 
piness. And  this  is  pledged  to  the  Apostolic,  Catho- 
lic Church,  and  in  her  courts  is  never  sought  in  vain 
by  her  children. 


®- 


16 


® ® 


THE  CHURCH  IN  ALL  AGES  THE  KEEPER  OF  THE  TRUTH. 


She  sits — Truth's  Witness  in  an  evil  world, 
And  sore  environ'd  by  unnumber'd  foes, 
Willi  wiles  and  weapons  stern  against  her  hurl'd  ; 
The  Child  of  Life,  death's  shades  around  her  close  ; 
The  Crown  of  joy,  amid  o'erwhelming  woes: 
Her  right  handholds  the  keys  of  death  and  life, 
And  calm  she  sits  in  undisturb'd  repose, 
But  all  around  with  hostile  arms  are  rife, 
And  Toes  of  oarth  and  hell  are  arming  for  the  strife. 

Tlie  Baptistery, 


® fe) 


® 


® 


THE  CHURCH  IN  ALL  AGES  THE  KEEPEB  OF  THE 
TRUTH. 


Melancholy  indeed  was  the  view  presented  to 
the  great  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  when  standing 
upon  the  Mount  of  Observation,  he  first  looked  forth 
over  the  world  which  was  to  be  the  scene  of  his  la- 
bors. The  greater  portion  of  mankind  were  crushed 
"down  by  the  iron  power  of  Rome — a  tyranny  the 
most  oppressive  and  degrading,  which  seemed  to  be 
gradually  treading  out  every  spark  of  generous  feel- 
ing, and  fitting  the  human  race  only  to  be  slaves. 
Neither  was  there  any  thing  to  correct  the  cruelty  and 
licentiousness  which  were  so  fearfully  on  the  increase. 
For  ages  men  had  made  trial  of  their  moral  strength, 
but  seemed  now  to  have  resigned  themselves  to  de- 
spair. Every  prevailing  system  had  lost  what  purify- 
ing influence  it  might  formerly  have  possessed.  The 
philosophy  of  Greece — perverted  from  all  the  nobler 
ends  at  which  once  it  aimed — was  only  investing  vice 


®- 


-® 


® . ® 

354         THE  CHURCH  IN  ALL  AGES 

with  new  grace,  and  causing  the  arrow  to  sink  deeper 
because  its  point  was  polished.  The  old  Paganism 
of  Rome  had  begun  to  lose  all  moral  hold  on  the 
mind,  and  now  was  only  sustained  as  the  religion  of 
the  Empire,  and  the  instrument  of  power  to  its  priest- 
hood. Even  its  ministers  in  secret  scoffed  at  it  as 
an  imposture.  "  Diligently  practising" — says  Gib- 
bon— "  the  ceremonies  of  their  fathers;  devoutly  fre- 
quenting the  temples  of  the  gods  ;  and  sometimes 
condescending  to  act  a  part  on  the  theatre  of  super- 
stition, they  concealed  the  sentiments  of  an  atheist 
under  the  sacerdotal  robes."'^  In  Egypt,  forgetting 
the  lessons  of  wisdom  which  in  an  older  day  were 
taught  in  the  sacred  groves  of  Memphis  and  Heliopo- 
lis,  her  people  now  bowed  to  deities  of  their  own  cre- 
ation, and  worshipped  the  herb  they  eat,  or  the  rep- 
tile upon  which  they  trod. 

Neither  did  the  East  furnish  to  the  Apostle  any 
more  cheering  view.  There  was  the  fruitful  home' 
and  the  cradle  of  every  debasing  form  of  idolatry. 
The  ancient  inhabitants  of  Palestine  had  bequeathed 
to  their  descendants  the  adoration  of  Astarte,  the 
Q,ueen  of  Heaven,  or  of  that  spirit  which,  under  the 
name  of  Baal,  was  supposed  to  guide  the  chariot  of 
the  sun  ;  while  still  more  distant  nations,  with  their 
innumerable  gods,  had  collected  in  their  worship 
every  thing  which  was  degrading  and  licentious. 
Even  God's  own  people,  the  Jews,  had  shared  in  this 


i 


a  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire,  ch.  II. 


-(s) 


— . ® 

THE    KEEPER    OF    THE    TRUTH.  355 

debasement.  Their  religion  had  degenerated  into 
formality.  The  purity  of  their  earlier  days  had  de- 
parted, and  so  marked  was  their  wickedness,  that 
their  own  historian,  Josephus,  bears  his  indignant  tes- 
timony to  their  depravity.''  Such  was  the  prospect 
which  presented  itself  to  St.  Paul,  as  he  looked  over 
the  moral  landscape.  Truly,  it  was  "  a  world  lying 
in  wickedness."  "  The  people  were  sitting  in  gross 
darkness." 

Where  then  was  the  power  which  could  meet  all 
this  array  of  idolatry  and  vice,  and  mould  it  into  pu- 
rity ?  On  what  did  the  Apostle  rely,  that  he  was  en- 
abled to  go  forth  so  boldly  to  confront  it?  His  hopes 
rested  on  that  Church — then  in  the  feebleness  of  her 
early  day — which  his  Lord  had  founded.  He  looked 
to  her,  as  a  perpetual  witness  against  sin.  He  ex- 
pected her,  with  her  holy  institutions,  to  enter  the 
dark  and  troubled  waves,  and  spread  over  them  a 
glory  not  of  this  world.  His  trust  was,  in  "  the 
Church  of  the  Living  God,  the  pillar  and  ground  of 
the  truth." 

Has  the  Church  then  realized  these  high  expec- 
tations 1  Has  she  fulfilled  the  lofty  destiny  which 
St.  Paul  marked  out  for  her  t  Has  she,  in  the  ages 
which  have  gone,  been  the  Ark  of  truth  for  a  fallen 
and  apostate  world  ?  The  history  of  the  past  answers, 

b  "  Nor  did  any  age  ever  breed  a  generation  more  fruit- 
ful in  wickedness  than  this  was,  from  the  beginning  of  the 
world."     Antiq.  lib.  v.  ch.  10. 

® ® 


® __ — _ — ___ — _____ — __ — ^ 

356  THE  CHURCH  IN  ALL  AGES 

that  she  has.  From  every  page  of  the  records  of  our 
race,  there  comes  a  testimony^  that  the  Church  alone 
has  been  the  preserver  of  all  that  is  most  valuable  to 
man  in  time  and  through  eternity.  It  is  on  this  sub- 
ject then  that  I  would  address  you  this  evening — the 

CHURCH,  IN  ALL  AGES,  THE  KEEPER  AND  GUARDIAN  OF 

THE  TRUTH.  From  an  historical  view  of  her  origin 
and  progress,  it  will  be  evident,  that  in  each  crisis, 
intellectual  or  moral,  in  the  existence  of  our  race, 
the  Church  has  stood  forth  to  rescue  man's  best  inter- 
ests from  ruin.  And  she  was  enabled  to  accomplish 
this  great  work,  by  her  strict  org-anization  and  gov- 
ernment, and  the  union  produced  by  the  Apostolic 
ministry,  binding  together  the  different  branches  by 
a  common  tie. 

We  might  indeed  say  at  once,  that  since  God 
adopted  this  plan  for  preserving  in  the  earth  a  know- 
ledge of  our  faith,  it  must  be  the  best  method  that 
could  be  devised.  The  very  fact  that  it  was  the 
choice  of  Infinite  Wisdom,  proves  this  point  conclu- 
sively. But  it  is  evident,  even  to  the  eye  of  human 
reason,  that  this  end  could  probably  have  been  effect- 
ed in  no  other  way.  Had  the  word  of  God,  and  the 
holy  principles  of  His  Gospel,  been  left  to  be  treas- 
ured up  only  in  the  breast  of  each  private  individual, 
or  to  be  swept  about  on  the  wild  waves  of  popular 
feeling,  they  would  long  since  have  disappeared  from 
the  earth.  The  same  result  would  have  followed, 
had  the  spiritual  destinies  of  the  world  been  commit- 
ted to  the  care   of  the  discordant  sects  which   are 

®— ® 


(V) ® 

THE  KEEPER  OF  THE  TRUTH.        357 

now  around  us.  These,  deprived  of  the  high  claims 
of  the  Apostolic  Church,  and  standing  independently 
of  each  other,  unite  both  the  nature  and  the  weak- 
ness of  mere  voluntary  associations.  It  is  the  exist- 
ence of  the  Church,  which  keeps  the  truth  always 
before  the  world,  which  gives  to  religion  "  a  local 
habitation  and  a  name,"  and  endows  it  with  perma- 
nency. 

We  shall  easily  perceive  this,  by  looking  back  to 
the  past  history  of  our  faith.  It  was  the  regular  organ- 
ization of  the  Church — her  systematic  discipline,  and 
her  unity — which  enabled  her,  in  the  first  three  cen- 
turies, not  only  to  survive  the  violence  of  enemies,  but 
even  to  be  always  the  aggressor,  and  to  advance  with 
a  steady  step  from  conquering  to  conquer.  It  is  to 
this,  under  God,  that  we  must  ascribe  the  triumphs 
she  gained.  Wherever  the  Apostles  went,  they  left 
not  the  converts  who  had  been  gained,  to  confine 
their  feelings  to  their  own  breasts — to  stand  isolated 
and  alone — to  use  their  principles  only  as  articles  of 
individual  belief — or,  in  their  blindness,  just  starting 
from  the  sleep  of  heathenism,  to  endeavor  to  settle  a 
system  of  ecclesiastical  polity  for  themselves.  On 
the  contrary,  they  formed  their  followers  into  one 
united  body,  the  different  parts  of  whicii  were  bound 
together  by  the  closest  alliance.  Thus,  they  grew 
up  to  maturity  and  strength,  in  secret  and  in  silence, 
wl'iile  their  enemies  were  scarcely  aware  of  their  in- 
crease.    In  the  midst  of  the  mighty  empire  of  Rome, 

® -® 


® ® 

358         THE  CHURCH  IN  ALL  AGES 

a  new  kingdom  quietly  arose."  "  It  came  not  with 
observation."  No  sound  of  a  trumpet  heralded  its 
approach — no  clang  of  arms  marked  its  progress — 
but,  like  the  building  of  the  first  temple,  while  the 
noise  of  the  workmen's  instruments  Was  not  heard, 
the  mighty  fabric  was  fast  rising  up  into  splendor 
and  beauty.*^ 

The  faith  stretched  its  ramifications  through  every 
class  of  society,  and  enlisted  everywhere  its  prose- 
lytes. The  degraded  bondsman  in  his  chains  became 
"  a  freeman  in  Christ  Jesus,"  and  the  inmate  of 
palaces  began  to  aspire  after  diadems  whose  glory 
was  eternal,  and  which  were  to  be  received  only 
when  "  the  mortal  had  put  on  immortality."  Thus, 
the  heathen  saw  their  temples  suddenly  deserted' — 

c  "While  that  great  body  [the  Roman  Empire]  was  in- 
vaded by  open  violence,  or  undermined  by  slow  decay,  a 
pure  and  humble  religion  gently  insinuated  itself  into  the 
minds  of  men,  grew  up  in  silence  and  obscurity,  derived 
new  vigor  from  opposition,  and  finally  erected  the  triumph- 
ant banner  of  the  Cross  on  the  ruins  of  the  Capitol."  Gibbon's 
Decline  and  Fall,  vol.  ii.  p.  265. 

d  "  There  was  neither  hammer  nor  axe,  nor  any  tool  of 
iron  heard  in  the  house,  while  it  was  building."  1  Kings 
vi.  7. 

"  In  awful  state, 

The  temple  reared  its  everlasting  gate. 

No  workman  steel,  no  ponderous  axes  rung  ! 

Like  some  tall  palm  the  noiseless  fabric  sprung." 

Heber's  Palestine. 
e  In  the  celebrated  letter  of  C.  Pliny  to  the  Emperor 
Trajan,  in  describing  the  progress  of  Christianity,  he  men- 

® ® 


-® 


THE  KEEPER  OF  THE  TRUTH. 


359 


their  fellow-worshippers  changed  into  foes  —  and 
themselves  encompassed  by  ten  thousand  associa- 
tions, all  uniting  in  the  same  discipline,  and  all  pro- 
claiming irreconcilable  hostility  to  the  time-honored 
faith  of  their  fathers.  "  It  was  not  a  foreigner  who 
invaded  them,  not  barbarians  from  the  north,  not  a 
rising  of  slaves,  nor  an  armament  of  pirates,  but  the 
enemy  rose  up  from  among  themselves.  The  first- 
born in  every  house,  '  from  the  first-born  of  Pharaoh 
on  the  throne  to  the  first-born  of  the  captive  in  the 
dungeon,'  unaccountably  found  himself  enlisted  in 
the  ranks  of  this  new  power,  and  estranged  from  his 
natural  friends.  Their  brother,  the  son  of  their  mo- 
ther, the  wife  of  their  bosom,  the  friend  that  was  as 
their  own  soul,  these  were  the  sworn  soldiers  of  the 
'  mighty  army,'  that  '  covered  the  face  of  the  whole 
earth.'  And  when  they  began  to  interrogate  this  enemy 
of  Roman  greatness,  they  found  no  vague  profession 
among  themselves,  no  varying  account  of  themselves, 
no  irregular  and  uncertain  plan  of  action  or  conduct. 
They  were  all  members  of  strictly  and  similarly 
organized  societies.  Every  one  in  his  own  district 
was  the  subject  of  a  new  state,  of  which  there  was 
one  visible  head,  and  officers  under  him.  These 
small  kingdoms  were  indefinitely  multiplied,  each  of 
them  the  fellow  of  the  other.     Wherever  the  Roman 

tions,  that  "  the  temples  were  almost  desolate,"  "  the  sacred 
solemnities  had  been  long  intermitted,"  and  "the  sacrificial 
victims  could  scarce  find  a  purchaser."  See  whole  Letter  in 
Wilson's  Evidences,  vol.  i.  p.  214. 


® 


® 


® ® 

360  THE  CHURCH  IN  ALL  AGES 

Emperor  travelled,  there   he  found    these   seeming 
rivals  of  his  power,  the  Bishops  of  the  Church. '"^ 

Thus  it  was  that  the  faith  went  on.  It  measured 
strength  with  the  proud  philosophy  of  Greece,  and 
planted  its  standard  in  the  midst  of  Athenian  luxury 
and  superstition.  Along  the  shores  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean, every  city  reared  its  temples,  on  whose  lofty 
pinnacles  the  Golden  Cross  glittered  in  the  sunbeams; 
while  there  rose  at  break  of  day  the  melody  of  count- 
less thousands  singing  "  hymns  to  Christ  as  God,"" 
in  those  lovely  valleys  from  whence  now  only 

"The  Moslem's  prayers  profane 
Morn  and  eve  come  sounding." 

Spain  received  the  Gospel  gladly — Africa  sent  her 
hundreds  of  Christian  Bishops  to  the  councils  of  the 
Church'' — while  St.  Paul  himself  preached  the  faith 

f  Newman's  Sermons,  vol.  ii.  p.  264. 

g  "  They  were  accustomed,  on  a  stated  day,  to  meet  be- 
fore day-light,  and  to  repeat  among  themselves  a  hymn  to 
Christ  as  to  a  God."     Plijiy's  Letter  to  Trajan- 

h  The  argument  is  often  advanced  by  those  opposed  to 
us,  that  from  the  great  number  of  Bishops  present  at  some  of 
the  ancient  councils,  it  is  evident  they  must  have  been  only 
Presbyters.  The  error  liere  arises  from  not  remembering 
two  facts — 1st,  that  these  regions  of  the  world,  although  now 
thinly  inhabited,  then  contained  a  dense  population. — 2d, 
that  Dioceses  in  that  day  were  much  smaller  in  geographical 
extent,  than  now.  We  will  take  Africa  as  an  illustration  of 
this.  The  Northern,  or  Christian  portion  of  this  continent, 
comprehending  the  six  Roman  Provinces,  is  computed  by 
Procopius  to  be  ninety  days'  journey  in  length,  that  is,  2360 

® (S 


® ® 

THE  KEEPER  OF  THE  TRUTU.         3C1 

in  that  little  barbarous  isle,  which  then  was  looked 
upon  as  "  cut  off  from  all  the  world,'"  but  which  has 

miles.  The  breadth  varied  from  200  to  500  miles.  It  has 
been  estimated  that  the  population  was  at  least  eighty  mil- 
lions, the  majority  of  whom  were  nominal  Christians. 

Now,  wc  know  that  in  St.  Augustine's  day,  there  were 
in  this  compass,  at  least,  4G6  dioceses.  (^Bing.  Orig.  Eccles. 
lib.  ix.  ch.  2.  sect.  5.)  When  the  Vandals  e.\ilcd  the  whole 
body  of  the  African  Bishops,  their  number  amounted 
to  nearly  500.  (Flcury,  Hist.  Eccles.  lib.  xxx.  s.  7.)  In 
addition  to  these,  the  provinces  of  Egypt,  Lybia,  and  Pen- 
tapolis  contained  100  dioceses. 

These  dioceses  averaged  from  60  to  80  towns  and  villages, 
each  of  which  contained  at  least  one  congregation,  while  in 
some  of  them  we  know  there  were  several.  There  were 
above  500  clergy  in  the  Church  of  Carthage.  (Bing.  lib.  ix. 
c.  2.  s.  5.)  St.  Augustine's  Diocese  of  Hippo,  was  above  40 
miles  long.  (Ibid.)  There  was  a  Canon  of  the  African 
Councils,  which  says,  "  No  Bishop  shall  leave  his  principal 
Cathedral,  and  reside  in  any  other  church  of  his  diocese." 
(Ibid.)  Thus  implying,  that  there  were  more  churches  than 
one  in  each  diocese.  And  when  there  were  in  the  same 
diocese  rival  Bishops  set  up  by  the  Catholics  and  Donatists, 
they  were  in  different  parts  of  the  diocese. 

In  this  way  we  might  go  through  the  East,  and  one  who 
had  not  investigated  the  subject,  would  be  surprised  at  the 
strength  of  the  Church,  as  shown  by  the  number  of  her 
dioceses.  In  the  Patriarchate  of  Constantinople  were  about 
600  dioceses,  varying  in  size.  Of  these,  400  were  in  Asia, 
and  200  in  Europe.  In  the  Diocese  of  Ca;sarea,  wliich  was 
about  one  hundred  miles  square,  St.  Basil,  when  Bishop  in 
A.  D.  375,  had  under  him  50  Chor-episcopi,  or  assistant 
Bishops,  each  having  under  his  authority  many  Presbyters 

i  "  Britannos  orbe  divisos." 

® 


® — ® 

362         THE  CHURCH  IN  ALL  AGES 

since  sent  the  Church  to  us,  and  now  is  planting  it 
throughout  the  earth.  Thus  it  was  that,  in  the  words 
of  an  Apostle — "  the  Gospel  was  preached  to  every 
creature  which  is  under  Heaven." 

But  the  triumphs  of  the  Church  were  not  con- 
fined to  the  provinces.  Our  faith  entered  the  Impe- 
rial City,  and  St.  Paul  was  "  ready  to  preach  the 
Gospel  to  them  that  were  at  Rome  also."  It  did  in- 
deed require  fortitude  and  devotion,  to  attack  Pagan- 
ism in  this  its  strongest  hold.  The  obstacles  which 
impeded  its  progress  in  other  lands,  were  tenfold  in- 
creased in  the  Capitol.  The  chariot-wheel  of  Roman 
greatness  had  gone  on,  levelling  one  kingdom  after 
another,  until  all  the  earth  had  been  given  to  its 
sceptre.  Idolatry  was  there  in  its  most  splendid  form, 
and  its  strongest  array.  Embodied  in  the  national 
customs,  it  seemed  exactly  suited  to  the  tastes  and 
feelings  of  the  popular  mind.     Its  Pantheon  of  gods 

and  Deacons.  {Greg.  Naz.  Carm.  De  Vita,  Basil.  Bas.  Ep. 
181,  412.)  In  Italy  were  300  dioceses ;  in  Spain  70 ;  in 
France  117.  In  Persia  alone  there  were  50  ;  and  during  a 
persecution,  A.  D.  330,  we  learn  that  23  Bishops  suffered 
martyrdom  at  the  same  time.  In  one  of  these  dioceses,  250 
of  the  clergy  were  put  to  death  with  their  Bishop.  See 
Bingham,  lib.  ix. 

So  easy  is  it,  by  an  appeal  to  the  records  of  that  day,  to 
refute  the  objection  derived  from  the  great  number  of  Bish- 
ops. In  those  lands  Christianity  has  receded,  and  it  is  esti- 
mated that  we  have  lost  at  least  150  millions  of  worshippers 
by  the  returning  wave  of  Paganism,  or  the  strange  imposture 
of  the  prophet  of  Mecca. 

®— ■■ ® 


(J) __ — ® 

THE  KEEPER  OF  THE  TRUTH.        363 

appealed  to  the  prejudices  of  every  nation.  The 
Court  was  there,  wielding  a  despotism  which  scorned 
all  opposition,  and  which  scrupled  not  to  shed  rivers 
of  blood  in  furthering  its  designs.  The  luxury,  and 
vice,  and  licentiousness,  which  prevailed  in  the  rest 
of  the  world,  seemed  but  a  faint  reflection  of  that 
developing  itself  in  every  form  in  the  Capitol. 

Here  then  was  a  task,  to  plant  the  pure  faith  of 
our  Lord  in  the  midst  of  all  this  corruption.  But  it 
was  accomplished.  The  sacrifice  was  indeed  a  great 
one,  for  Rome  through  many  years  was  purple  with 
the  blood  of  the  children  of  God  ;  and  the  sands  of 
the  amphitheatre  were  dyed  with  the  gore  of  the 
martyrs.  But  yet,  the  end  was  attained,  and  in  a 
space  of  time  shorter  than  the  wildest  hopes  of  the 
Christian  could  have  imagined.  It  was  but  thirty 
years  after  the  crucifixion,  that  Nero,  to  remove  from 
himself  the  suspicion  of  having  set  fire  to  the  city, 
charged  it  on  the  Christians,  and  proceeded  to  inflict 
upon  them  the  most  cruel  torments.  The  historian 
Tacitus,  when  giving  an  account  of  this  persecution, 
shows  us  how  strong  at  that  time  must  have  been  the 
Church  at  Rome.  "  The  founder  of  that  name" — 
he  says — "  was  Christ,  who  suffered  death  in  the 
reign  of  Tiberius,  under  his  procurator  Pontius 
Pilate.  This  pernicious  superstition,  thus  checked 
for  awhile,  broke  out  again  ;  and  spread,  not  only 
over  Judea,  where  the  evil  originated,  but  through 
Rome  also,  whither  every  thing  bad  finds  its  way,  and 
is  practised.     Some  who  confessed  their  sect,  were 

® — ^® 


® — — ■ ® 

364  THE  CHURCH  IN  ALL  AGES 

first  seized ;  and  afterwards,  by  their  information,  a 
vast  multitude  were  apprehended."^  We  see,  then, 
from  this  statement,  how  great  must  have  been  the 
number  of  disciples  in  the  city. 

But  persecution  did  not  stop  the  good  cause.  The 
faith  increased,  even  within  the  precincts  of  the 
court.  It  forced  itself  into  high  places.  It  entered 
the  palace  of  the  Csesars  ;  and  three  centuries  more 
beheld  a  Roman  Emperor  adopting,  as  his  proudest 
badge,  the  Cross  of  the  once  despised  Nazarene, 
and  proclaiming  Christianity  to  be  the  religion  of  the 
Empire.  Then  came  one  decree  after  another,  smit- 
ing heathenism,  and  closing  its  temples,  until  it  grad- 
ually withered  away.  It  was  a  ruin,  which  Gibbon 
pronounces  "perhaps  the  only  example  of  the  total 
extirpation  of  any  ancient  and  popular  superstition.'"* 

That  splendid  mythology  of  Greece,  from  which 
the  immortal  poets  of  old  time  drew  their  inspiration, 
faded  utterly  from  the  earth.  The  long  array  of  di- 
vinities, whose  names  once  were  held  in  reverence, 
vanished  even  from  the  knowledge  of  the  people ; 
until  to  later  generations,  they  have 

"  Gone  glimmering  through  the  dreams  of  things  that  were — 
A  school-boy's  tale." 

Thus  died  the  antagonist  of  the  Gospel,  an  enemy 
which,  while  it  gathered  around  it  all  that  was  splen- 
did and  alluring,  was  also  the  natural  enemy  of  man  ; 
for  in  all  its  creed  it  could  point  to  no  traces  of  purity 

j   Annals,  lib.  xv.  §  44. 

k  Decline  and  Fall,  chap,  xxviii. 

(g)^ _ ...^ d) 


® -(.;) 

THE    KEEPER    OF    THE    TRUTH.  3G5 

and  holiness.  Its  fall,  therefore,  was  the  freedom  of 
the  world. 

Such,  then,  was  the  early  triumph  of  the  Church. 
And  now,  looking  back  upon  this  history,  what  do 
we  perceive  to  have  been  the  secret  of  her  strength? 
We  answer,  under  Providence,  it  was  her  union — the 
presentation  of  herself  visibly  before  the  world — her 
strict,  compact,  and  energetic  government. 

And  if  we  come  down  a  kw  centuries  later,  to  the 
time  when  the  fierce  barbarians  from  the  North 
trampled  the  Roman  Empire  beneath  their  feet,  we 
shall  find,  that  then  the  perfect  organization  of  the 
Church  was  the  instrument  of  Heaven  for  the  preser- 
vation of  religion.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  influence 
of  her  standing  ministry,  all  traces  of  our  faith  would 
at  once  have  been  obliterated  from  the  West.  Look 
at  the  materials  of  which  the  population  was  then  com- 
posed. Among  the  conquered  people,  the  higher  class- 
es had  ceased  to  be  either  numerous  or  powerful ;  while 
the  lower,  recently  converted  from  polytheism,  were 
not  always  the  most  sincere  in  their  change,  nor  had 
their  faith — which  was  no  longer  purified  by  persecu- 
tion— yet  gained  the  requisite  strength.  The  clergy 
alone  occupied  a  commanding  position,  which  ren- 
dered them  the  able  and  efficient  defenders  of  the 
oppressed.  They  extorted  respect  even  from  their 
Gothic  invaders.  In  the  first  confusion  of  conquest, 
they  might  indeed  share  in  the  indiscriminate  evils 
of  warfare,  yet  the  rudest  soldier  brought  with  him  a 
superstitious  reverence  for  the  priesthood,  particu- 

17 

® ® 


® ® 

366         THE  CHURCH  IN  ALL  AGES 

larly  when  he  found  them  honored,  and  the  ceremo- 
nies of  their  worship  imposing.'  He  soon  learned  to 
invest  the  ministers  of  this  faith  with  a  sanctity, 
which  enabled  them  to  wind  their  chains  about  the 
hearts  of  their  conquerors,  and  to  win  them  to  that 
faith  itself.  The  illiterate  prince  found  himself  con- 
fronted fearlessly  by  the  Christian  Bishop  ;  and  the 
respect  which  he  felt  was  soon  increased  by  the  dis- 
covery, that  the  clergy  were  the  exclusive  possessors 
of  that  learning  which  commands  the  reverence  even 
of  barbarians.  When,  therefore,  the  invaders  had 
been  thus  gradually  converted  to  the  faith,  the  minis- 
ters of  the  Church  stood  between  them  and  the  con- 
quered, as  the  only  connecting  link — the  only  inter- 
mediate power — which  gave  some  community  of  inter- 
est to  the  master  and  the  slave.  They  found  them- 
selves worshippers  of  the  same  God,  gathered  into 
the  same  Church,  and  united  under  the  same  spirit- 
ual supervision.  Thus  the  Church,  with  her  high 
authority,  prevented  the  complete  disorganization  of 
all  the  existing  relations  of  society.  She  gradually 
mingled  up  the  invaders  with  the  invaded  into  one 
people,  and  before  the  next  wave  of  conquest  came 
from  the  North,  the  community  was  in  some  measure 
prepared  to  breast  the  shock. 

In  this  way,  by  regulating  the  social  system,  and 
standing  forth  a  perpetual  witness  for  the  truth,  the 
Church  prevented  all    religion    being  absorbed   and 


1  Waddington's  Church  History,  p.  203. 

C-— ® 


— s 

THE    KEEPER    OF    THE    TIILTII.  367 

lost,  in  the  conflict  and  confusion  of  the  times.™  But 
had  Christianity  then  existed  as  a  mere  individual 
belief,  or  had  its  form  of  government  been  less  com- 
plete and  vigorous,  it  would  have  possessed  neither 
the  energy  nor  discipline  necessary  to  maintain  its 
hold  in  the  midst  of  the  deluge  which  rolled  over  it. 
Or,  had  its  preservation  been  then  committed  to  the 
keeping  of  warring  sects,  which  were  ever  shifting 
and  changing,  both  it  and  they  would  have  '  been 
swept  from  the  earth,  like  chaff  before  the  wind. 

And  thus  it  was  through  all  the  ages  which  fol- 
lowed, when  a  twilight  gloom  had  gathered  over  the 
earth,  even  down  to  the  dawn  of  the  Reformation. 
Although  the  Church  was  existing  only  in  a  corrupted 
form,  yet  still  she  was  in  some  measure  discharging 
her  duty  to  the  world,  by  keeping  alive  the  remem- 
brance of  religion  in  the  minds  of  men.  The  spiritual 
despotism  of  the  Romish  Church  had  indeed  stretched 
an  iron  sceptre  over  the  earth ;  yet  in  the  good  pro- 
vidence of  God,  it  seems  to  have  been  permitted,  be- 
cause more  efficacious  than  any  gentler  form  of  faith, 
to  keep  the  social  system  in  order,  during  an  age 
of  savage  turbulence  and  unceasing  tyranny.  The 
Church  was  then  the  only  "City  of  refuge"  for  the 
helpless  and  oppressed.  The  power  of  superstition 
was  the  only  one  which  in  that  warlike  age  formed 
any  efficient  barrier  between  the  nobles  and  their 
down-trodden  vassals.     The  very  claim  of  the  Bishop 

ni  Mihiian's  Hist,  of  Christianity,  vol.  ii.  p.  1G3. 
® 


® ® 

368         THE  CHURCH  IN  ALL  AGES 

of  Rome  to  be  the  vicegerent  of  God  on  earth,  while 
it  invested  him  with  a  fearful  power,  perhaps  enabled 
him  also  to  save  our  race  from  the  horrors  of  perpetual 
barbarism.  Customary  as  it  has  been  to  speak  of  the 
Church  in  these  centuries  only  in  the  language  of 
denunciation,  he  who  does  so  knows  but  little  of  the 
spirit  of  those  times. 

In  truth,  the  world  has  never  witnessed  a  specta- 
cle more  sublime  than  that  furnished  by  the  Church 
in  her  progress  through  the  Middle  Ages.  It  was  a 
mental  supremacy,  which  cannot  but  command  our  ad- 
miration, even  when  it  devised  and  wielded  the  weapons 
of  superstition.  It  was  the  triumph  of  intellect  and 
learnincr,  over  ignorance  and  brutal  force.  The  higher 
classes  of  Europe,  at  that  time,  were  a  fierce  and  law- 
less nobility,  yielding  to  no  authority  but  that  dictated 
by  superior  strength,  and  regarding  all  beneath  them  as 
being  only  the  helots  of  the  soil,  doomed  forever  to 
exist  but  as  "  the  hewers  of  wood  and  drawers  of 
water  "  to  their  lords.  The  elements  of  society  were 
always  at  war,  and  often  threatening  to  rush  into  a 
ruinous  conflict.  But  above  these  wild  waves  of 
anarchy  and  turbulence  there  arose  a  mighty  form, 
its  foot  indeed  resting  on  the  earth,  but  its  head  reach- 
ing to  the  clouds,  clothed  with  the  attributes  of  both 
worldly  and  spiritual  power,  and  l^olding  in  its  hand 
the  enchanter's  rod,  which  alope  could  awe  into 
silence  the  threatening  storm,  or  afford  a  timely  suc- 
cor from  external  violence.  The  mightiest  of  man- 
kind trembled  before  it,  while  it  "  bound  th&ir  kings 

® 5) 


. — — -_^ — ^® 

THE    KEEPER    OF    THE    TRUTH.  369 

with  chains,  and  their  nobles  with  fetters  of  iron." 
The  Ciiurch,  therefore,  in  that  day,  was  the  sanctuary 
i)f  the  earth.  She  was  the  ark  in  which,  while  the 
Hood  of  error  was  sweeping  around,  the  truth  was 
preserved  in  being  for  better  times.  Corrupt  then  as 
the  Romish  Church  undoubtedly  was,  and  often  "  hold- 
ing the  truth  in  unrighteousness,"  her  movements 
were  still  overruled  by  a  wise  providence  to  the  fur- 
therance of  good,  and  her  colossal  strength  was  en- 
listed to  keep  alive  in  the  earth  the  true  Church,  that 
"  the  gates  of  hell  should  not  prevail  against  it." 

There  were  indeed,  at  that  time,  innumerable  ways 
by  which,  through  her  instrumentality,  religion  w-as 
daily  brought  before  the  people,  until  the  degraded 
peasant,  and  the  rude  and  warlike  baron,  were  alike 
obliged  to  yield  to  her  claims.  In  the  first  place, 
her  rites  and  services  were  gorgeous,  and  well 
adapted  to  an  illiterate  age,  when  the  heart  must  be 
reached,  and  the  mind  enlightened,  through  the 
medium  of  the  senses. 

Again — the  Church  was  the  dispenser  of  the  chari- 
ties of  the  age.  Thus,  that  work  was  effectually 
accomplished,  which  is  now  attempted  Vvith  such  in- 
adequate results,  by  a  multitude  of  voluntary  associa- 
tions— often  ill-directed  in  their  zeal — conflicting  in 
their  efforts — and  bound  together  by  no  sympathy  of 
religious  principles.  The  pious  made  the  Church 
the  almoner  of  their  bounty,  and  thus,  among  other 
good  effects,  the  tie  w-as  strengthened  which  bound 
the  people  to  their  spiritual  pastors.      They  came  to 

® ® 


® __® 

370  THE  CHURCH  IN  ALL  AGES 

them  for  relief  of  their  worldly  necessities,  as  well  as 
of  their  religious  wants,  and  thus  that  "  most  excel- 
lent gift  of  charity  " — one  of  the  brightest  virtues  of 
Christianity — was  inculcated  upon  the  multitude,  not 
only  by  the  preaching,  but  also  by  the  daily  example 
of  those  who  ministered  at  the  altar.  Beautiful,  in- 
deed, is  the  picture  which  has  come  down  to  us  of 
the  crowds  which  morning  and  evening  assembled 
around  the  doors  of  the  religious  houses,  to  have  their 
wretchedness  relieved,"  and  sad  was  the  day  for  Eng- 

n  The  Rev.  J.  J.  Blunt — an  author  who  surely  will  not 
be  accused  of  any  attachment  to  Romanism — writes  thus — "As 
we  know  not,  says  the  proverb,  what  the  well  is  worth  till 
it  is  dry,  so  was  it  found  after  the  dissolution,  that,  with  all 
their  faults,  the  monasteries  had  been  the  refuge  for  the 
destitute,  who  were  now  driven  to  frightful  extremities 
throughout  the  country,  the  effect  of  the  suppression  being 
with  respect  to  them  the  same  as  would  now  follow  from  the 
sudden  abolition  of  the  poor  laws ;  that  they  had  been  the  alms- 
houses, where  the  aged  dependents  of  more  opulent  families, 
the  decrepid  servant,  the  decayed  artificer,  retired  as  to  a 
home  neither  uncomfortable  nor  humiliating;  that  they  had 
been  the  country  infirmaries  and  dispensaries,  a  knowledge 
of  medicine  and  of  the  virtues  of  herbs  being  a  department 
of  monkish  learning,  (as  passages  in  the  old  dramatic  writers 
sometimes  indicate,)  and  a  hospital,  and  perhaps  a  laboratory, 
being  component  parts  of  a  monkisii  establishment;  that 
they  had  been  foundling  asylums,  relieving  the  state  of  many 
orphan  and  outcast  children,  and  ministering  to  their  neces- 
sities,— God's  ravens  in  the  wilderness,  (neither  so  black  as 
they  had  been  represented,)  bread  and  flesh  in  the  morning, 
and  bread  and  flesh  in  the  evening  ;  that  they  had  been  inns 
for  the  way-faring  man,  who  heard    from   afar   the  sound  of 

® ® 


® _ ® 

THE  KEEPER  OF  THE  TRUTH.         371 

land's  poor,  when  these  establishments — instead  of 
being  remodeled  in  accordance  with  the  rules  of  that 
purer  faith,  which  had  then  dawned  upon  the  land — 
were  entirely  suppressed  by  the  rude  iiand  of  violence, 
and  their  pensioners  scattered  abroad,  to  subsist  by 
the  cold  charity  of  their  countrymen,  or  to  be  driven 
by  want  into  licentiousness  and  crime.  Well  may  a 
living  poet  ask — 

"  When  the  old  must  pass 

The  threshold,  vvhitlier  shall  they  turn  to  find 

The  hospitality — the  alms,  (alas  ! 

Alms  may  be  needed,)  which  that  house  bestowed  ?"o 

the  vesper  bell,  at  once  inviting  him  to  repose  and  devotion, 
and  who  might  sing  his  matins  with  the  morning  star,  and 
go  on  his  way  rejoicing ;  that  they  fiilled  up  the  gap  in  which 
the  public  libraries  have  since  stood,  and  if  their  inmates 
were  not  very  desirous  to  eat  of  the  tree  of  knowledge 
themselves,  they  had  at  least  the  merit .  of  cherishing  and 
preserving  it  alive  for  others."  Hist,  of  Reformation  in 
England,  p.  142. 

o  Wordsworth's  Eccles.  Sonnets,  No.  xix.  "  On  the  whole. 
King  Henry  VIII.  at  did'erent  times,  suppressed  645  abbeys 
and  monasteries.  Ninety  Colleges  were  demolished  in  seve- 
ral counties.  Two  thousand  three  hundred  and  seventy 
four  Chantries  and  Free  Chapels;  and  110  Hospitals.  The 
whole  revenue  of  these  establishments  amounted  to  £161,- 
100."  Hume,  vol.  iv.  p.  182. 

The  fffuct  of  this  change  upon  education  alone  is  thus 
told  in  a  single  sentence  by  Latimer,  in  the  middle  of  Ed- 
ward VI. 's  reign — "  I  think  there  be  at  this  day,  ten  thou- 
sand students  less  than  were  within  these  twenty  years." 
Latimer's  Sermons,  vol.  i.  p.  246.  At  the  time  of  their  de- 
struction,  Latimer    had    pleaded    with    Cromwell,    Henry's 

® ® 


37^  THE    CHURCH    IN    ALL    AGES 

Even  to  this  day  we  have  witnesses  to  the  noble 
spirit  of  self-denial  which  prompted  the  men  of  those 
generations  to  sacrifice  all  private  interests  to  the 
advancement  of  their  faith.  The  magnificent  edi- 
fices scattered  through  every  land  in  Europe,  which 
were  dedicated  to  the  service  of  our  Lord,  and  which 
succeeding  ages  have  attempted  in  vain  to  rival,  tes- 
tify how  abundant  was  the  liberality,  and  how  deep 
the  religious  feeling  of  those,  who  were  then  the 
members  of  the  Church.  We  may  call  it  supersti- 
tion— and  such  it  sometimes  was — yet  we  believe 
that  often  these  works  were  prompted  by  a  loftier, 
holier  feeling — that 

"  They  dreamt  not  of  a  perishable  home, 
Who  thus  could  build. "p 

Again — the  penitential  discipline  of  the  Church 
was  continually  enforcing  the  moral  precepts  of  our 
relio-ion.  The  superstitious  crowd,  who  could  be  awed 
by  nothing  else,  trembled  when  ihey  heard  the  terrible 
denunciations  of  the  Church  ;  and  as  the  penitent 
stood  before  them  in  his  public  shame,  they  were  im- 
pressed  with   a  salutary  awe,  as   they  witnessed   his 

minister,  that  some  might  be  reserved  as  places  of  study  and 
prayer.  "  Alas,  my  good  Lord" — said  he- — "  shall  we  not 
see  two  or  three  in  every  shire  changed  to  such  a  refnedy  !" 
He  pleaded  however  in  vain,  for  Henry  and  his  cotirtiers, 
grasping  at  the  spoils,  were  deaf  to  every  religious  argument. 
See  Sir  H.  Spclmaiis  Hist,  and  Fate  of  Sacrilege.,  or  tiie  last 
part  of  Churtoris  Early  English  Church. 

p  Wordsworth's  Eccles.  Sonnets,  No.  xxxv. 

® — ® 


® ® 

THE    KEEPER    OF    THE    TRUTH.  373 

deep  humiliation,  the  intensity  and  bitterness  of  hi.s 
remorse.  No  elevation  of  rank  was  so  lofty  as  to 
shield  the  offender.  Kings  bowed  to  the  spiritual 
authority  of  the  Church,  and  were  forced  to  realize, 
that  when  they  entered  her  walls,  they  stood  in  the 
sight  of  the  King  of  kings,  on  a  level  with  the  mean- 
est of  their  subjects.  In  an  age  when  the  true  spirit 
of  religion  was  but  dimly  perceived,  this  system  must 
have  possessed  the  strongest  power,  when  exerted  to 
advance  man's  moral  improvement.  And  in  these 
days  of  laxity  and  carelessness,  would  not  a  revival 
of  something  of  this  ancient  and  stern  discipline  of 
the  Church,  tend  to  call  back  also  in  some  measure 
a  portion  of  her  former  spirit  ? 

The  Church,  too,  sought  unceasingly  to  correct  the 
vices  of  the  social  system — to  improve  the  spirit  of 
society — and  to  interpose  as  peace-maker  for  the 
prevention  of  outrage  and  warfare.  If  indeed  we 
closely  examine  the  history  of  the  past,  and  compare 
the  condition  of  society  in  successive  centuries,  wc 
shall  be  surprised  to  find,  how  many  of  the  glaring 
abuses  of  the  Middle  Ages  have  gradually  disappeared 
before  the  increasing  light  of  the  Church,  until  they 
have  been  entirely  extirpated.  Without  her  influ- 
ence, we  should  now  be  sunk  in  degradation  and  bar- 
barism ;  for  even  of  that  literature  which  has  come 
down  to  us  from  the  days  of  classic  antiquity,  the 
Church  was  the  guardian,  in  a  time  when  the  world 
at  large  knew  not  the  worth  of  these  models  of  the 
past.     It  was  in  the  libraries  of  the  Monasteries  that 

® ® 


® ® 

374         THE  CHURCH  IN  ALL  AGES 

the  intellectual  treasures  of  former  ages  were  preserv- 
ed, when  these  were  the  only  places  of  safety  ;  be- 
cause the  rude  noble,  whose  trade  was  war,  and  who 
felt  no  remorse  in  rifling  cities  and  palaces,  dared 
not  lay  the  finger  of  violence  on  those  consecrated 
buildings.  He  dreaded  too  much  the  threatenings  of 
the  Church. 

Such  was  the  Church  of  the  Middle  Ages.  A  dark 
pall  was  indeed  drawn  over  Western  Christendom, 
and  the  human  mind  in  the  mass  of  men  slumbered 
in  a  rest  which  was  unbroken.  But  fearful  as  the 
picture  was,  there  were  still  some  redeeming  traits. 
Within  the  courts  of  the  Church  were  ever  those, 
whose  learning  enlightened  the  age  in  which  they 
lived.  "  There  was  a  continual  succession  of  indi- 
vidual intellects — the  golden  chain  was  never  wholly 
broken,  though  the  connecting  links  were  often  of 
baser  metal.  A  dark  cloud,  like  another  sky,  cover- 
ed the  entire  cope  of  Heaven ;  but  in  this  place  it 
thinned  away,  and  white  stains  of  light  showed  a 
half  eclipsed  star  behind  it — in  that  place  it  was  rent 
asunder,  and  a  star  passed  across  the  opening  in  all 
its  brightness,  and  then  vanished.'"'  In  many  a  retired 
spot,  too,  humble  piety  was  training  up  for  heaven, 
and  the  Church  in  secret  was  nurturing  within  her 
fold  those  whose  names  live  not  in  history,  but 
whose  record  is  now  on  hicrh.  Mingled  with  the  su- 
perstition  which  then  prevailed,  there  was  indeed  a 
heartiness  in  their  devotion — a  reality  for  every-day 
q  Coleridge's  Literary  Remains,  vol.  ii.  p.  26. 

® 


^ — ® 

I 

TJIE    KEEPER    OF    THE    TRUTU.  375 

life  in  tlieir  religion — which  might  well  shame  the 
lukc-warm  faith  of  modern  times.  Therefore  it  is, 
that  even  now,  in  these  days  of  greater  light,  the 
thoughtful  mind  cannot  forbear  often  turning  back 
with  regret,  and  amid  the  worldliness  which  is  around 
us,  feeling  that  far  better  was  the  simple,  unlearned 
piety  of  former  centuries.  Yet  these  imaginings  are 
not  to  be  indulged.  The  past  cannot  return.  "  Nei- 
ther the  churches  nor  the  empires  of  the  Middle 
Ages  are  to  be  rebuilt,  however  lovely  many  things 
about  them  were,  nor  the  forms  of  that  warlike  Chris- 
tianity to  be  wished  back  again,  in  place  of  the  bet- 
ter forms  of  a  more  primitive  pattern.  They  were 
forms  which  primitive  truths  put  on,  and  in  which 
they  then  saved  the  world :  forms  which  were  real 
for  awhile.  But  the  present  state  of  things  must 
surely  teach  the  ardent  and  the  hopeful  disciples  of 
old  times,  that  it  is  the  primitive  truths  for  which 
they  have  to  strive,  and  not  to  do  battle  for  the  chiv- 
alrous, middle-age  accessories  of  them,  however  gor- 
geous or  picturesque.'" 

Review,  however,  the  picture  we  have  presented. 
See  the  lawlessness  of  those  centuries  through  which 
the  Church  passed,  and  then  tell  me,  which  of  the 
religious  societies  that  have  grown  up  around  her 
during  the  last  three  hundred  years,  would  have  been 
I  able  to  perform  the  work  that  she  did — assert  the 
i  same  rule  over  the  human  mind,  wild  and  turbulent 
j  as  it  then  was — and  thus  save  the  faith  alive? 
I  r  Faber's  Churchman's  Politics,  p.  6. 

® ® 


® ® 

I  376         THE  CHURCH  IN  ALL  AGES 

And  look  around  you  now — even  in   these  times, 

I  which  boast  so  much  of  their  spiritual  and  intellect- 

i  ual  light — and  think  what  we  should  be  without  the 

i  Church.     The  external  world  is  continually  present- 

i  ing  its  fascinations — acting  on  the  imagination — and 

I  tempting  us,  in  view  of'*'  things  seen,"  to  dismiss  all  re- 

j  membrance  of  "  the  things  which  are  unseen."     Now, 

i  to  counteract  this,  what  more  efficacious  than  a  visi- 

I 

j  ble,  unchanging  Church,  to  be  a  witness  for  Christ — 

j  to  speak  to  us  continually  by  her  solemn  services — to 
'  preach  to  a  gainsaying  world  the  great  truths  of  Re- 
1  demption — and,  with  a  ceaseless  voice,  to  summon  it 
I  to  heed  the  whispers   of  conscience,  and  to  think  of 
I  Eternity.     Thus,  the  Church  alike  rebukes   the  un- 
godly, and   inspires  the   fainting   believer  with  new 
courage.     She  is  a  witness  of  the   invisible  world — 
setting  forth,  even  in  this  life,  that  separation  which 
j  is  one  day  to  take  place  between  the  just  and  the  un- 
j  just.     Who  then  can  estimate  the  wonderful  influence 
1  she  exerts  !     From   the  present  as  well    as  from  the 
past,  we  can  gather  an  argument  in  behalf  of  that  wis- 
I  dom,  which  set  forth  "  the  Church  of  the  Living  God," 
to  be  forever    "  the  pillar  and  ground  of  the  Truth.'' 
This,  then,  is  the  historical  view  of  the  Church. 
We  have  spoken  only  of  that  general  witness  which 
she  bears  for  the  truth,  but  we  might  strengthen  the 
argument,   by  taking  up,  one  by  one,  the  doctrines 
which  our  faith  sets  forth,  and  showing  how,  through 
the  influence  of  the  Church,  each  one  is  preserved 
alive  in  the  memory  of  man.     But   the  time  would 

® ® 


_ (5) 

I 

THE    KEEPER    OF    THE    TRUTH.  377 

ftul  US,  should  we  attempt  to  enter   on  this  subject. 
We  trust,  liowever,  that  you  have  already  seen  how 
entirely  this  plan  which   has  been  devised  to  defend 
the  faith  from  injury,  is   in  accordance  with  Infinite 
Wisdom.     It  only  remains,  then,  that  we  should  com- 
mend tliis  Church  to  your  affections.     It  is  now  the 
same  Church  which  we  have  followed  in  her  progress 
through    eighteen    centuries — the   same   which    our 
Lord  founded,  when  He  trod  the  hills  of  Gallilee,  and 
taught  in  the  villages  of  Judea — the  same  which  His 
Apostles  invited   their   countrymen  to    enter,    when 
they  first  preached  the  news  of  redeeming  love  in  the 
streets  of  Jerusalem,     Checkered  as  her  course  has 
been  with   fearful  vicissitudes,  she  has  not  only  sur- 
vived, but  grown  and  expanded.     The  sunshine  and 
the  calm  have  often  been  withdrawn,  and  the  Church 
been  obliged  to  make  her  way  through  the  cloud  and 
the  storm.     She  has  gone  through  periods  dark  and 
turbulent,  as  well  as  those  enlightened  and  tranquil. 
Every  habit  and  form  of  social  life  has  in  turn  been 
tried,  and  at  one  time  she  has  had  to  contend  ao-ainst 
the  corruptions  of  refinement,  and   at  another,  with 
the  grossness  of  barbarism.     Dangers  have  ever  en- 
circled her,  and  her  enemies  never  ceased  to  threaten 
her  existence.     "  The  Kings  of  the  earth  stood  up, 
and  the   rulers  were  gathered  together  against  her." 
In  her  early  day,  however  the  Roman  Emperors  might 
differ  in  temper  and   disposition,  they  always  agreed 
in  hostility  to  the  Church.    The  wise  Trajao,  and  the 
brutal    Nero — the   philosophic  Antoninus,    and    the 

® -® 


® 


I  378  THE  CHURCH  IN  ALL  AGES 

madman  Domitian — were  alike  zealous  in  the  cause 
of  heathenism.  In  whatever  hand  the  scourge  might 
be,  it  alwa}'s  fell  upon  the  Christian.  The  noble — 
the  pure — the  young — and  the  aged — were  flung  to- 
gether into  the  same  dishonored  grave.  One  requi- 
sition after  another  Avas  made  upon  the  Church,  to 
send  forth  her  champions  for  martyrdom  ;  tmd  the 
voice  of  wailing  was  ever  heard  in  her  courts,  as  they 
mourned  the  loss  of  leaders  in  "  the  Sacramental  host 
of  God's  elect,"  who  had  passed  into  Paradise  from 
the  agonies  of  the  stake,  or  whose  spirits  had  gone 
upward  from  the  fire.  False  friends,  too,  have  acted 
as  traitors  in  the  camp  of  the  Lord.  Heresies,  which 
deformed  the  faith — and  schisms,  which  sought  to 
divide  it — have  caused  one  party  after  another  to 
separate  from  the  ancient  Church ;'  and  never  yet 
has  the  world  been  able,  from  the  lives  of  her  mem- 
bers, to  form  a  just  estimate  of  the  excellence  of  her 
doctrines. 

But  yet,  notwithstanding  all,  the  Church  survived, 
while,  as  she  passed  down  the  stream  of  time,  she  be- 
held one  nation  after  another  fall,  and  the  most  pow- 
erful empires  suffer  extinction.  And  lock  at  her 
now.  Is  her  vitality  diminished,  or  her  "  natural 
force  abated  1"     Is  her  strengtlf  impaired  by  the  con- 

s  The  martyr  Cyprian  writes — "  Wo  have  not  departed 
from  them,  but  they  troni  us  ;  and  since  schisms  and  heresies 
are  born  afterwards,  they  left  the  fountain-liead  and  origin 
of  truth,  when  they  constituted  different  assemblages  for 
themselves."     De  Unit.  256. 


® ® 

THE    KEEPER    OF    THE    TRUTH.  379 

flicts  through  which  she  has  passed  ?  Can  you  point 
to  any  evidence  of  the  decrepitude  of  age  ?  No — she 
is  still  in  the  vigor  of  her  youth.  She  is  unchanged 
— or  rather,  she  presents  herself  now  to  the  gather- 
ing storm,  with  a  bolder  front  than  ever  in  ages  that 
are  passed. 

Are  you  then  a  member  of  this  Church,  which 
conies  to  you  sanctioned  by  such  weighty  claims  ? 
With  every  promise  fulfilled  to  the  letter — every  pre- 
cious hope  realized  to  the  full — and  enriched  with 
the  prayers  of  generations  that  have  gone — she  ap- 
peals to  your  hearts.  Thousand.^,  as  you  have  seen, 
have  died,  rather  than  forfeit  an  interest  in  her  bless- 
ings. That  branch  to  which  it  is  our  privilege  to 
belong,  is  no  novelty  in  the  world,  but  looks  back 
through  a  long  line  of  confessors  and  martyrs  of  the 
Church  Catholic,  to  Christ  Himself  as  her  head.  She 
teaches  all  the  grand  and  cardinal  doctrines  of  our 
faith.     She  is  wanting  in  no  single  point. 

We  invite  you  then — if  you  have  not  already  done 
so — to  take  refuge  within  her  walls,  before  God  shall 
arise  to  shake  terribly  the  earth.  Come,  and  unite 
yourself  with  the  bright  array  of  those  who  have  gone 
before,  on  whom  is  resting  the  Spirit  of  glory  and  of 
grace.  They  are  bending  down  from  their  thrones 
on  high — "  a  great  cloud  of  witnesses" — to  see  wheth- 
er you  will  still  sustain  that  Holy  Church,  to  advance 
which  they  considered  life  itself  as  not  too  precious 
to  be  sacrificed.  They  have  bequeathed  to  you  this 
cause,  to  bear  it  onward  as  once  they  did.     You  are 

® (i) 


® _ ® 

380   THE  CHURCH,  THE  KEEPER  OF  THE  TRUTH. 

standing  in  their  places,  and  are  the  inheritors  of 
their  responsibilities.  You  are  "  baptized  for  the 
dead."  And  now,  the  host  of  the  elect  is  pressing 
onward.  Some  have  already  passed  into  Canaan, 
over  the  river  of  death,  and  some  are  still  toiling  on 
in  the  wilderness.  Oh,  may  you,  when  the  dispersed 
of  God's  spiritual  Israel  are  gathered  into  one,  be 
found  again  united  as  members  of  "the  general  as- 
sembly and  Church  of  the  first  born,  which  are  writ- 
ten in  Heavep." 


® — __ (jj 


® _ ® 


THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN. 


All  mny  save  self; — but  minds  that  heavenward  towor 

Aim  at  a  wider  power, 

Gifts  on  the  world  to  shower. 
And  this  is  not  at  once  ; — by  fastings  gained, 

And  trials  well  sustained. 
By  pureness,  righteous  deeds,  and  toils  of  love. 
Abidance  in  the  Truth,  and  zeal  for  God  above. 

Lyra  Apostvlica. 


18  \ 

® © 


® __ ® 


X. 

THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN. 


II.AViivG  endeavored  to  bring  before  yon  the  dis- 
tinctive principles  of  the  Church — those  by  which  we 
are  separated  from  the  different  denominations  around 
us — the  question  naturally  occurs,  What  is  the  prac- 
tical bearing  of  these  truths?  We  answer — they  are 
to  be  acted  out  in  the  life,  and  embodied  in  the  daily 
walk  and  conversation  of  those  who  profess  to  be 
members  of  our  Holy  Apostolic  Church.  I  know  not, 
therefore,  that  I  can  select  a  more  appropriate  subject 
with  which  to  close  these  Lectures,  than  a  delineation 

of  THE  TRUE,  CaTHOLIC  ChuRCHMAN. 

The  very  name  indeed  which  he  bears — if  he 
walk  worthy  of  it — proclaims  the  principles  by 
which  he  will  be  directed.  He  has  received  his  title 
from  no  human  teacher.  He  assumes  the  badge  of 
no  mere  sect.  He  shares  in  that  jealous  vigilance 
which  induced  St.  Paul  so  sternly  to  chide  the  Corin- 
thians, because  one  party  said,  "  we  are  of  Paul,'"'  and 

® ® 


® ^® 

384  THE    TRUE,    CATHOLIC    CHURCHBIAN. 

another,  "  we  are  of  Apollos,"  and  another,  "  we  are 
of  Cephas."  And  this  feeling  the  Primitive  believers 
bequeathed  to  those  who  came  after  them  in  the  early 
Church.  "  We  take  not,"  says  St.  Chrysostom,  "  our 
denomination  from  men.  We  have  no  leaders,  as 
the  followers  of  Marcion,  or  Manichseus,  or  Arius."* 
"  The  Church,"  says  Epiphanius,  "  was  never  called 
so  much  as  by  the  name  of  any  Apostle.  We  never 
heard  of  Petrians,  or  Paulians,  or  Bartholoma^ans,  or 
Thaddaeans;  but  only  of  Christians,  from  Christ."''  "  I 
honor  Peter" — says  another  Father — "  but  I  am  not 
called  a  Petrian  ;  I  honor  Paul,  but  I  am  not  called 
a  Paulian  ;  I  cannot  bear  to  be  named  from  any  man, 
who  am  the  creature  of  God.""  And  Bingham  tells 
us,  that  when  Sempronian,  the  Novatian  heretic, 
demanded  of  Pacian  the  reason  why  Christians  called 
themselves  Catholics,  he  answered,  that  it  was  to 
distinguish  them  from  Heretics.  "  Christian" — he 
says — "is  my  name,  and  Catholic  my  surname  :  the 
one  is  my  title,  the  other  my  character  or  mark  of 
distinction."'  Such  was  the  feeling  of  these  early 
saints.  Leaving  to  the  sects  which  started  up  on 
every  side,  to  name  themselves  after  their  leaders, 
they  still  kept  to  that  general  appellation,  which  was 
most  expressive  of  unity  and  relationship  to  their 
Lord.     The  Churchman  of  this  day  therefore  has  in- 

a  Horn.  33,  in  Acts. 

b  Bing.  Orig.  Ecclcs.  lib.  i.  ch.  1,  sect.  6. 

c  Greg.  Naz.  Orat.  31. 

d  Orig.  Eccles.  lib.  i.  ch.  1,  sect.  7. 

® ■ ■ ® 


® ■ — ® 

THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN.      3S5 

herited  these  views,  and  by  the  name  of  Catholic 
Churchman,  he  expresses  both  his  allegiance  to  his 
Divine  Master,  and  to  that  Apostolic  Church  which 
He  founded/ 

-  One  characteristic  of  the  true  Churchman  is — 
that  he  receives  with  humility  all  the  doctrines  of  the 
Church,  and  avows  his  belief  in  them. '  This  must  at 
once  be  evident.  It  would  be  an  absurdity  for  a 
disciple  to  call  himself  by  the  name  of  a  teacher  to 
whose  instructions  he  did  not  fully  subscribe.  As 
the  Jew  prided  himself  on  being  the  follower  of 
Moses,  and  showed  his  reverence  for  the  ancient 
dispensation  by  observing  all  its  requirements,  even 
the  most  minute,  so  does  the  Churchman  proclaim 
to  the  world  the  fact,  that  he  is  a  disciple  of  Christ, 
and  a  member  of  His  Holy  Apostolic  Church.  He  is 
ready  to  acknowledge  his  belief  in  all  that  his  Master 
taught,  either  when,  Himself  on  earth.  He  acted  as 
the  earliest  herald  of  the  Gospel ;  or  when,  after  His 
ascension,  He  inspired  holy  men  to  enlarge  the  circle 
of  revelation,   and  then    committed   to  the   Churclj 

e  "  I  wear  the  name  of  C!irist,  my  God, 

So  name  me  not  from  man  ! 

And  my  broad  country  Catholic, 

Hath  neither  tribe  nor  clan  : 
Its  rulers  are  an  endless  line, 

Through  all  the  world  they  went, 
Commissioned  from  the  Holy  Hill 
Of  Christ's  sublime  ascent." 

Rev.Jl.  C   Coxc. 

18* 
® — . ® 


® ® 

386      THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN. 

which  He  had  organized,  the  lofty  duty  of  being  a 
Keeper  and  Witness  of  the  Truth. 

Bat  we  are  told  that  there  is  no  necessity  for  an 
appeal  to  the  Church,  to  learn  the  fundamental  doc- 
trines of  our  faith — that  "  the  Bible  alone  is  the  re- 
ligion of  Protestants" — and  we  need  no  other  inter- 
vention to  aid  us  in  forming  our  Creed,  or  in  settling 
our  belief  Look  then  over  the  world,  and  see  how 
this  assertion  is  supported  by  actual  experience.  The 
first  sound  which  strikes  the  ear  is  the  din  of  contro- 
versy, as  the  most  solemn  truths  which  God  has  re- 
vealed, are  openly  questioned  and  denied,  or  bandied 
about  among  warring  heretics  from  mouth  to  mouth, 
until  the  reverence  even  of  the  believer  is  insensibly 
impaired.  The  first  sight  which  meets  the  eye,  is 
that  of  the  body  of  Christ  rent  asunder,  and  contend- 
ing parties  using  as  hostile  watchwords  those  solemn 
verities,  to  which  man  should  have  listened  only  with 
awe  and  reverence.  The  present  situation  of  the 
different  Protestant  sects  around,  answers  but  too 
truly  the  description  which  Dante  has  given : — 

"  Christ's  host,  which  cost  so  dear  to  arm  afresh. 
Beneath  its  ensign  moves  with  tardy  step, 
Tiiin  are  its  ranks,  each  soldier  coldly  looks 
Upon  his  fellow,  doubtful  of  his  faith. "f 

Amidst  then  this  changing,  shifting  sea  of  opin- 
ions, where  is  the  truth  1  In  what  can  I  believe,  as 
the  certain  teaching  of  my  Lord  ?     The  Bible  is  of 

f  Paradiso,  xii. 
® : ® 


® ® 

THE    TRUE,    CATHOLIC    CillKCIlMAN.  387 

course  before  me,  and  I  may  study  it  for  myself,  but 
the  same  privilege  is  afforded  others  also,  and  yet  I 
behold  a  hundred  varying  sects — all  holding  different 
Creeds — and  all  professing  to  derive  them  from  that 
Volume.  Which  then  is  right  ?  Where  can  I  find 
a  guide  to  direct  me  in  the  right  path  ?  I  can  truly 
say,  like  the  Ethiopian  Eunuch — "  How  can  I  under- 
stand, except  some  man  should  guide  me  ?" 

Now,  these  difficulties  are  natural,  and  must  be 
felt  by  every  reflecting  mind.^  The  Church,  there- 
fore, has  provided  a  remedy.  She  does  not  say  to 
her  children — "  each  one  of  you  may  explain  Scrip- 
ture according  to  your  own  fancy" — but  she  furnishes 
them  with  an  interpretation.  Going  back  to  Primi- 
tive times — to  the  days  of  Apostles  and  Martyrs — she 
unrolls  their  writings,  and  inquires,  how  these  men, 
who  stood  nearest  to  the  fountain  of  light — who  lived 
when  the  tradition  of  all  our  Lord's  words  and  deeds 
had  not  yet  faded  from  the  earth — how  they  understood 
H^  precepts  'i  She  takes  the  ground — and  surely  it 
is  a  reasonable  one — that  doctrines  \yhich  have  been 
the  admitted  faith  of  the  Church  from  the  first  age 
down  through  eighteen  hundred  years,  are  probably 

g  "  We  learn  to  prize  that  whicfi  is  not  of  this  earth  ;  we 
long  for  rcvehition,  which  nowhere  bnrns  more  majestically 
or  more  beautifully  than  in  the  New  Testament.  I  feci  im- 
pelled to  open  the  original  text — to  translate  for  once,  with 
upright  feeling,  the  sacred  original  into  mj'  darling  German. 
It  is  written  :  *  In  the  beginning  was  the  Word.'  Here  lam 
already  at  a  stand  ;  loho  will  help  me  on  ?"  Goethe's  Faust, 
p.  44. 

® ® 


® ® 

388      THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN. 

correct,  and  therefore  she  teaches  them  to  her  chil- 
dren in  her  creeds  and  formularies. 

Here  then  is  her  rule  of  faith — Scripture  as  it 

ALWAYS    HAS    BEEN    INTERPRETED    BY    THE    ChURCH. 

The  Church  of  Rome  contends  that  there  are  two 
rules  of  faith,  of  equal  authority  ;  that  there  is  an  un- 
written tradition,  alike  definite  and  alike  to  be  re- 
spected with  the  written  word  of  God.  Thus  it  was 
asserted  in  a  decree  of  the  Council  of  Trent — "  All 
saving  truth  is  not  contained  in  the  Holy  Scripture, 
but  partly  in  the  Scripture,  and  partly  in  unwritten 
traditions,  which  whosoever  doth  not  receive  untJi 
nice  piety  and  reverence  as  he  doth  the  Scriptures,  let 
him  be  accursed."''  The  clearly  stated  doctrine  of 
our  own  Church,  on  the  contrary  is,  that  tradition  is 
to  be  used  only  to  interpret  Scripture.  "  The  Church 
hath  power  to  decree  rites  or  ceremonies,  and  author- 
ity in  controversies  of  faith:  and  yet  it  is  not  lawful 
for  the  Church  to  ordain  any  thing  that  is  contrary  to 
God's  word  written  ;  neither  may  it  so  expound  one 
place  of  Scripture  that  it  be  repugnant  to  another. 
Wherefore,  although  the  Church  he  a  untncss  and  a 
keeper  of  Holy  Writ,  yet  as  it  ought  not  to  decree 
anything  against  the  same,  so,  besides  the  same, 
ought  it  not  to  enforce  any  thing  to  be  believed  for 
necessity  of  salvation.'" 

Again — the   Church  of  Rome   fetters   the  judg- 
ment, by  requiring  a  blind,  unconditional  submission 
to  those  who,  from  time  to  time,  occupy  the  place  of 
h  Sess.  iv.  Decret.  de  Can.  Script.  i  Art.  xx. 

® ® 


® ® 

THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN.      389 

ecclesiastical  rulers.  They  constitute  the  Church, 
and  are  to  be  implicitly  obeyed.  Thus,  an  appeal  to 
Catholic  antiquity,  to  verify  her  doctrines,  is  practi- 
cally forbidden,  since  each  one  must  believe  what  the 
Church  does  now  hold.^  The  different  denominations 
around  us,  going  to  the  other  extreme,  give  unbounded 
license  to  the  fiincy,  by  an  unrestricted  exercise  of 
private  interpretation.  Our  own  Church,  avoiding 
either  error,  "  inculcates  a  liberal,  discriminative, 
yet  undeviating  reverence  for  pious  antiquity :  a 
reverence,  alike  sanctioned  by  reason,  inspired  by 
feeling,  and  recommended  by  authority." '  She  adopts 
the  rule  laid  down  by  Vincentius  of  Lerins,  who 
wrote  in  the  year  434.  A  brief  view  of  his  system 
may,  therefore,  be  useful  in  illustrating  the  principles 
of  the  Church  on  this  point. 

He  sets  out  with  inquiring  how.  he  must  decide 
between  truth  and  error  I  His  language  is — "  I  have 
made  frequent  and  earnest  inquiries  of  a  great  num- 
ber of  holy  and  learned  men,  howl  might  discriminate, 
that  is,  what  certain  and  universal  rule  there  was  for 
discriminating  between  Catholic  truth  and  heretical 
pravity ;  and  I  have  ever  received  something  like  the 

j  Tlius,  Dr.  Hawardcn,  in  speaking  of  tlie  Arians,  uses 
this  language — "  If  they  be  allowed  the  pica  of  all  reformers, 
I  mean,  of  appealing  from,  and  against,  the  present  Catholic 
Church,  to  the  times  past,  the  controversy  can  never  be 
ended,  until  the  dead  speak."  The  True  Church  of  Christ, 
vol.  ii.  pref.  p.  9. 

k  Appendix  to  Bishop  Jebb's  Sermons,  p.  266- 

® — ® 


® —. ® 

390      THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN. 

following  answer,  that  whether  I  myself,  or  any  other 
private  person,  wished  to  detect  the  corruptions,  and 
avoid  the  snares  of  heretics  who  were  springing  up, 
and  to  remain  sound  and  whole  in  the  sound  faith, 
there  were  two  ways,  by  God's  blessing,  of  preserving 
himself — first,  by  the  authority  of  Scripture,  next  by 
the  teaching  of  the  Church  Catholic." 

But,  he  continues — "  Here  some  one,  perhaps, 
will  demand,  since  the  Canon  of  Scripture  is  com- 
plete, and  in  itself  more  than  sufficient  for  all  things, 
why  I  need  subjoin  to  it  the  authority  of  ecclesiasti- 
cal opinion  ?"  To  this  objection,  his  answer  is — 
"  that  the  very  depth  of  Holy  Scripture  prevents  its 
being  taken  by  all  men  in  one  and  the  same  sense, 
one  man  interpreting  it  in  one  way,  one  in  another ; 
so  that  it  seems  almost  possible  to  draw  from  it  as 
many  opinions  as  there  are  readers.  Novatian,  Pho- 
tinus,  Sabellius,  Donatus,  Arius,  Eunomius,  and 
Macedonius,  Apollinaris,  and  Priscillian,  Jovianus, 
Pelagius,  and  Celestius,  lastly  Nestorius,  each  of 
these  heretics  has  his  own  distinct  interpretation  of 
it.  This  is  why  it  is  so  necessary,  viz.,  in  order  to 
avoid  the  serious  labyrinths  of  such  various  errors,  to 
direct  the  line  of  interpretation,  both  as  to  Prophets 
and  Apostles,  according  to  the  sense  of  the  Church 
and  Catholic  world." 

Having  thus  most  conclusively  proved  the  neces- 
sity for  some  rule  of  interpretation,  he  proceeds  to 
state  that  one  which  can  always  give  us  a  sure  direc- 
tion— "  We  must  be  peculiarly  careful  to  hold   that 

® — ■ ^ ® 


® ® 

THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN.      391 

which    hath  been  believed,  in  all  places,  at  all 

TIMES,  BY  ALL  THE  FAITHFUL  :  QuOD  UBIQUE,  QUOD 
SEMPER,     QUOD     AB     OMNIBUS    CREDITUM    EST.       This 

is  true  and  genuine  Catholicism,  as  the  very  word 
means,  comprehending  all  truths,  everywhere,  and 
truly  ;  and  this  will  be  ours,  if  we  follow  in  our  in- 
quiries Universality ,  Antiquity,  and  Consent.  We 
shall  follow  Universality ,  if  we  confess  that  to  be  the 
one  true  faith,  which  is  held  by  the  Church  all  over 
the  world  ;  Antiquity,  if  we  in  no  respect  recede  from 
the  tenets  which  were  in  use  among  our  Holy  Elders 
and  Fathers;  and  Consent,  if,  in  consulting  antiquity 
itself,  we  attach  ourselves  to  such  decisions  and 
opinions  as  were  held  by  all,  or  at  least  by  almost 
all,  the  ancient  Bishops  and  Doctors." 

"  What,  then,  will  the  Catholic  Christian  do,  in 
a  case  where  any  branch  of  the  Church  has  cut  it- 
self off  from  the  communion  of  the  universal  faith  1 
What  can  he  do  but  prefer  the  general  body  which  is 
sound,  to  the  diseased  and  infected  member  of  it  ? 
What  if  some  novel  contagion  attempt  with  its 
plague-spots,  not  only  a  portion,  but  even  the  whole 
Church  1  Then  he  will  be  careful  to  keep  close  to 
antiquity,  which  is  secure  from  the  possibility  of 
being  corrupted  by  new  errors.  What,  if  even  in 
antiquity  itself,  there  be  two  or  three  men,  nay,  one 
community,  or  even  province,  discovered  in  error? 
Then  he  will  be  careful  to  prefer  to  the  rashness  or 
ignorance  of  the  few,  (if  so  be,)  the  ancient  decrees, 
(i.  e.  in  Council,)  of  the  Universal  Church.     What  if 

® 


® — ■ ® 

I 
392      THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN.  I 

a  case  arises  when  no  such  acts  of  the  Church  are  ; 
found  1  Then  he  will  do  his  best  to  compare  and 
search  out  the  opinions  of  the  ancients ;  that  is,  of 
those  who,  in  various  times  and  places,  remaining  in 
the  faith  and  communion  of  the  one  Catholic  Church, 
are  the  most  trust-worthy  authorities  ;  and  whatever, 
not  one  or  two,  but  all  alike,  with  one  consent,  held, 
wrote,  and  taught,  and  that  openly  and  perseveringly, 
that  he  will  understand  is  to  be  believed  without  any 
hesitation."  Having  thus  laid  down  his  rules,  Vin- 
centius  adds — "  By  these  principles,  faithfully,  sober- 
ly, and  diligently  observed,  we  shall,  with  no  great 
difficulty,  detect  every  noxious  error,  of  all  heretics, 
who  may  rise  against  the  Church.'" 

Such  was  the  rule  in  the  fifth  century,  and  it  is 
one  by  which  the  Church  is  even  now  guided.  "  I 
greatly  mistake" — says  the  Rev.  G.  S.  Faber — "if  in 
any  one  instance,  the  wise  Reformers  of  the  Church 
of  England  can  be  shown  to  have  exercised  an 
insulated  private  judgment.  In  fact,  they  possessed 
far  too  much  theological  learning,  and  far  too  much 
sound  intellect,  to  fall  into  this  palpable  error. 
Omitting,  then,  the  mere  dogmatism  of  the  Latin 
Church  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  wanton  exercise  of 
illegitimate  private  judgment  on  the  other  hand,  the 
practice  of  those  venerable  and  profound  theologians, 
who  presided  over  the  reformation  of  the  Anglican 
Church,  will  teach  us,  that  the  most  rational  mode  of 
determining  differences  is  a  recurrence  to  first  princi- 
1  Commonit.  adv.  Hsereticos. 

®- — — — ® 


® ® 

I 

THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN.      393 

pies,  or  an  appeal  to  that  Primitive  Church  which  was 
nearest  to  the  times  of  the  Apostles.'"" 

In  the  "Necessary  Doctrine,"  &c.,  which  in 
1543  was  adopted  by  the  whole  Church  of  England, 
we  are  told — "  All  those  things  which  were  taught  by 
the  Apostles,  and  have  been  by  a  whole  universal 
consent  of  the  Church  of  Christ  ever  sith  that  time 
taught  continually,  and  taken  always  for  true,  ought 
to  be  received,  accepted,  and  kept,  as  a  perfect  doc- 
trine apostolic.""  With  regard  to  the  Articles  of  the 
Creed,  Christians  are  commanded,  "  to  interpret  all 
the  same  things,  according  to  the  self-same  sentence 
and  interpretation  which  the  words  of  Scripture  do 
signify,  and  the  holy  approved  doctors  of  the  Church 
do  agreeably  entreat  and  defend."  They  are  directed 
also  to  reject  all  doctrines,  "  which  were  of  long 
time  past  condemned  in  the  four  holy  councils."" 

This  was  the  view  also  of  Cranmer.  In  his 
Epistle  to  Queen  Mary  on  the  subject  of  the  Eucharist, 
he  says — "  Herein  I  said  I  would  be  judged  by  the 
old  Church,  and  which  doctrine  could  be  proved  the 
elder,  that  I  would  stand  unto."P  Bishop  Ridley, 
too,  acknowledges  the  weight  of  Catholic  tradition 
as  a  guide  in  interpretation.''  Bishop  Jewel  writes — 
"  We  are  come,  as  neere  as  we  possibly  could,  to  the 
Church  of  the   Apostles,   and  of  the  old  Catholike 

m  Difficulties  of  Romanism,  p.  33. 

n   Formularies  of  Faith,  p.  221.  o   Ibid.  p.  227. 

p   Cranmer's  Works,  vol.  ii.,  p.  113. 

q    Jebb's  Sermons,  Appendi.x.,  p.  395. 

19 

® ® 


® ® 

394      THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN. 

bishops  and  fathers :  and  have  directed,  according  to 
their  customs  and  ordinances,  not  only  our  doctrine, 
but  also  the  sacraments,  and  the  forme  of  common 
praier.'"^  And  so  the  rule  remains  now  explicitly 
stated  in  our  Articles.  In  the  XX.  Article  it  is  said 
— "  The  Church  hath  authority  in  controversies  of 
faith ;"  and  afterwards,  in  the  XXXIV.  it  is  added — 
"  Whosoever,  through  his  private  judgment,  willingly 
and  purposely  doth  openly  break  the  traditions  and 
ceremonies  of  the  Church,  which  be  not  repugnant 
to  the  Word  of  God,  and  be  ordained  and  approved 
by  common  authority,  ought  to  be  rebuked  openly.'" 

r   Apology,  p.  156. 

s  That  this  is  the  rule  of  the  Church  of  England,  and 
consequently  of  our  own  branch  of  the  Church,  cannot  be 
doubted  by  any  one  who  will  read  the  records  of  the  past, 
and  the  opinions  of  all  the  most  eminent  English  Divines. 
See,  for  example,  the  Appendix  to  Bp.  Jebb's  Sermons,  with 
the  testimonies  there  collected;  and  the  Rev..E.  Churton's 
Sermon,  "  The  Church  of  England,  a  witness  and  keeper  of 
the  Catholic  Tradition."  Did  our  limits  allow,  copious  ex- 
tracts in  support  of  the  rule  of  Vincentius  might  be  given 
from  the  following  Divines  and  Authors  :  Jewell,  Bilson, 
Hooker,  Overall,  Morton,  Field,  White,  Hall,  Laud,  Mon- 
tague, Jackson,  Mede,  Ussher,  Bramhall,  Sanderson,  Cosin, 
Hammond,  Thorndike,  Taylor,  Hcylin,  Commissioners,  (to 
review  the  Prayer  Book,)  A.  D.  1662,  Pearson,  Barrow,  Bull, 
Stillingfleet,  Ken,  Beveridge,  Patrick,  Sharpe,  Potter,  Grabe, 
Brett,  Hicks,  Collier,  Leslie,  Waterland,  Bingham,  Jebb,  and 
Van  Mildert. 

A  writer,  indeed,  who  takes  the  ground  that  the  Bible 
alone  is  his  rule  of  faith,  will  find  it  impossible  at  the  outset 

to  prove  the  authority  of  that  Book,  and  is,  therefore,  at  the 

I 
® ® 


® ® 

THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN.      395 

It  is  by  this  safe  test,  then,  that  the  Church  decides 
at  once  upon  those  countless  controversies,  which 
are  rending  in  bitterness  all  who  surround  us.  For 
example,  let  us  apply  this  rule.  We  hear  some 
denying  the  Divinity  of  our  Lord — degrading  Him 
down  to  a  merely  inspired  prophet — and  when  we 
endeavor  to  establish  the  truth  of  his  Godhead  by  an 
appeal  to  Scripture,  they  reply  by  rejecting  our  in- 
terpretation of  its  words.'     What,  then,  is  our  safest 

mercy  of  any  infidel  who  attacks  him.  Bishop  Milner  thus 
states  this  argument — "  By  what  means  have  you  learned 
what  is  the  Canon  of  Scripture,  that  is  to  say,  what  are  the 
books  which  have  been  written  by  divine  inspiration  ;  or, 
indeed,  how  have  you  ascertained  that  any  books  at  all  have 
been  so  written  .'  You  cannot  discover  either  of  these  things 
by  your  rule,  because  the  Scripture,  as  your  great  authority 
Hooker  shows,  (Ecdes.  Pol.  h.iii.  sec.  8,)  and  Chillingworth 
allows,  cannot  bear  testimony  to  itself.  ....  You  have  no 
sufficient  authority  for  asserting,  that  the  sacred  volumes  are 
the  genuine  compositions  of  the  holy  personages  whose 
names  they  bear,  except  the  tradition  and  living  voice  of  the 
Catholic  Church  ;  since  numerous  apocryphal  prophecies  and 
spurious  gospels  and  epistles,  under  the  same  or  equally  ven- 
erable names,  were  circulated  in  the  Church  during  its  early 

ages Indeed,  it  is  so  clear  that  the  Canon  of  Scripture 

is  built  on  the  tradition  of  the  Church,  that  most  learned 
Protestants,  with  Luther  himself,  have  been  forced  to  ac- 
knowledge it."     End  of  Conlroversij,  Letter  ix. 

t  Socinus  boasted  that  he  acknowledged  no  master;  Sed 
Deum  tantummodo  prseceptorem  habui,  sacrasque  literas. 
He  accordingly  denied  the  authority  of  the  Fathers,  Councils, 
and  Primitive  Church.  {Palmer's  Treatise  on  Church,  v.  ii. 
p.  5'J.)     It  is  said  in  the  life  of  Biddle,   the  founder  of  the 

® a 


® 

396      THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN. 

course  ?  Why,  we  turn  to  the  testimony  of  the 
Church.  We  find  that  through  all  ages  the  great 
body  of  the  faithful  have  rendered  those  passages  as 
we  now  do,  and  bowed  in  reverence  to  our  Lord,  as 
a  Person  of  the  Triune  God.  We  will,  therefore,  be 
the  inheritors  of  their  faith,  and  with  them  acknow- 
ledge— "  Truly,  this  was  the  Son  of  God."" 

English  Socinians,  that  "  he  gave  the  Holy  Scriptures  a 
diligent  reading  ;  and  made  use  of  no  other  rule  to  determine 
controversies  about  religion,  than  the  Scriptures^  and  of  no 
other  authentic  interpreter,  if  a  scruple  arose  concerning  the 
sense  of  Scripture,  than  ?-easo7i."  (Ibid.  p.  64.)  It  would  be 
easy  to  show,  that  those  who  abandon  the  authority  of  the 
fathers,  generally  end  by  forsaking  the  truth.  The  infidel 
Rationalists  of  Germany,  who  have  thus  disowned  all  ancient 
authority,  boast  that  they  alter  their  belief  "  as  often  as  any 
nexo  vieics  require  it."  Rose's  State  of  Protest,  in  Germany., 
p.  24. 

u  "  Doctrines  received  through  the  medium  of  only  two 
or  three  links  from  the  Apostles  themselves,  and  with  one 
consent  declared  by  all  the  various  Churches  then  in  existence 
to  have  been  thus  received,  cannot  be  false.  Thus,  for  in- 
stance, Ireiiaeus,  himself  the  pupil  of  Polycarp  the  disciple 
of  St  John,  bears  witness  to  the  fact.,  that,  in  his  time,  all 
the  Churches  in  the  world  held  the  doctrine  of  our  Lord's 
divinity;  each  professing  to  have  received  it,  through  the 
medium  of  one  or  two  or  three  links,  from  the  Apostles ; 
and  his  testimony  is  corroborated  by  Hegesippus,  who,  about 
the  middle  of  the  second  century,  travelled  from  Asia  to 
Rome,  and  found  the  same  system  of  doctrine  uniformly 
established  in  every  Church.  Facts  of  this  description  form 
the  basis  of  the  reasoning  adopted  by  Irenasus  and  Tertullian  ; 
and  the  conclusion  which  they  deduce  from  it   is,    the  moral 

® ® 


(3) ® 

THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN.      397 

Again — we  hear  others  denying  the  necessity  of 
infant  baptism,  and  thus,  in  the  words  of  our  Lord, 
"  forbidding  little  children  to  come  to  Him."  We 
appeal  once  more  to  the  voice  of  the  Church.  We 
read  the  history  of  the  past.  We  discover  that  even 
from  tlie  Apostles'  days,  she  has  commanded  her 
members  thus  to  dedicate  their  children  to  Him  who 
had  redeemed  them,  and  we  are  therefore  contented 
to  walk  in  the  footsteps  of  those  who  have  gone  be- 
fore us.  When,  too,  the  Romanist  comes  to  us  with 
his  exclusive  claims,  we  make  the  same  appeal  to 
antiquity.  We  show  that  our  doctrines  are  older 
than  his,  and  adopt  for  our  motto  that  declaration  of 
Bishop  Ridley — "I  prefer  the  antiquity  of  the  Primi- 
tive Church  to  the  novelties  of  the  Church  of  Rome.'" 

Thus  it  is  that  we  decide  on  all  disputes.  In- 
stead of  trusting  to  the  feebleness  of  individual  rea- 
son, we  obey  the  command  which  our  Lord  gave 
when  He  said — "  Hear  the  Church."  We  thus  free 
ourselves  from  doubt.  We  lean  upon  the  recorded 
wisdom  and  opinions  of  eighteen  centuries,  and  feel, 
that  if  we  are  wrong  on  these  points,  then  must  the 
whole  Church  have  been  so  through  all  her  genera- 
tions.    Is  not  this,  to  say  the  least,  the  safest  way  to 

impossihility  of  the  Catholic  system  of  theoIo<ri/  heing  errone- 
ous.'''    Faher's  Difficulties  of  Romanism,  p.  27. 

V  See  an  admirable  sermon,  entitled,  "  Tlie  Novelties  of 
Romanism,  or,  Popery  refuted  by  Tradition,"  by  VV.  F. 
Hook,  D.  D.,  of  Leeds,  published  in  England  in  1840,  and 
lately  reprinted  in  this  country  by  D.  Dana,  20  John  street, 
New-York. 

® — (g, 


. ® 

398      THE  TRUEj  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN. 

understand  the  Word  of  God  1  Let  us  not,  (hen, 
bring  into  the  Church  an  arrogant,  questioning, 
carping  spirit,  but  rather  that  humility  which  Bishop 
Wilson  shows  in  one  of  his  prayers — "  Grant,  O 
Lord,  that  in  reading  Thy  Holy  W^ord,  I  may  never 
prefer  my  private  sentiments  before  those  of  the 
Church  in  the  purely  ancient  times  of  Christianity."" 
Again — the  true  Churchman  is  devoted  in  his  at- 
tendance on  the  services  of  thl  Church:  To  this, 
indeed,  he  will  be  prompted  by  a  regard  for  his  own 
spiritual  advancement.  The  Church  knows  the  diffi- 
culty of  leading  your  thoughts  heavenward  in  this 
Worldly  age,  and  therefore  calls  you  often  to  join  in 
her  solemn  rites.  Yet  not  too  often  is  this  summons 
given.  Oh,  we  may  rather  say,  would  that  it  were 
more  frequent,  and  men  could  be  induced,  as  in  the 
olden  time,  to  sanctify  every  day  by  devotion  ;  nor  feel 
that  they  should  go  forth  to  their  worldly  business, 
until  they  had  first  visited  the  house  of  God,  there  to 
gather  spiritual  strength  for  the  coming  hours."  But 
the  times  have  become  intensely  worldly,  and  men 
now  care  for  nothing  but  heaping  up  wealth,  or  gain- 
ing honors,  or  pursuing  pleasures,  with  as  desperate 
an  energy  as  if  they  were  to  live  here  forever.     The 

w  Sacra  Prirata,  p.  93. 
X   "  In  foreign  climes,  mechanics  leave  their  tasks, 

To  breathe  a  passing  prayer  in  their  Cathedrals  ; 
There  they  have  week-day  shrines,  and  no  one  asks, 
When  he  would  kneel  to  them,  and  count  his  bead-rolls. 
Why  are  they  shut .' 

® — ^® 


® ® 

THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN.      399 

Church,  therefore,  is  scarcely  able  to  enforce  her 
rules  of  regular,  systematic  devotion  in  public  ser- 
vices, and  is  often  obliged  to  trust,  that  in  private  her 
members  will  use  her  daily  lessons  and  solemn 
prayers,  and  thus  there  shall  be  unity  of  spirit 
among  them  all. 

But  whenever  her  courts  are  open,  her  true 
children  will  feel,  that  nothing  shall  prevent  their  at- 
tendance there.  All  are  engaged  in  a  fearful  struggle 
against  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the  devil,  and  they 
realize  it,  although  those  about  them  do  not.  Happy 
are  they,  therefore,  to  break  away  even  for  a  single 
hour  from  the  engrossing  cares  of  business,  here  to 
refresh  their  spirits,  where  God  dwelleth.  They 
would  thus  strengthen  their  immortal  hopes,  that  the 
bright  yet  transitory  things  around  them  may  have  no 
influence  over  their  hearts.  They  would  have  solemn 
voices  from  the  land  of  spirits  sounding  in  their  ears, 
that  thus  they  may  be  indiffierent  to  the  syren-song  of 
enchantment  by  which  this  earth  seeks  to  mislead 
them. 

With  him  who  has  truly  imbibed  the  spirit  of  the 
Church,  the  want  of  time  is  never  urged  as  an  excuse. 

Seeing  them  enter,  sad  and  disconcerted, 

To  quit  those  cheering  fanes  with  looks  of  gladness — 
How  often  have  my  thoughts  to  ours  reverted  ! 
How  oft  have  I  exclaimed,  in  tones  of  sadness, 
Why  are  they  shut?" 
Stanzas,  written  outside  a  country  Church, 

By  Horace  Smith. 

® -® 


i— ® 

400     THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN. 

He  knows,  that  a  willing  mind  can  make  time,  and 
that  if  he  will  attempt  it,  he  can  now  and  then  snatch 
a  single  hour  from  this  world  to  give  to  the  next. 
He  will  not  let  the  things  which  "  perish  with  the 
using"  hold  him  constantly  captive,  but  remembering 
that  with  him  there  must  come  a  time  to  die,  he  is 
earnest  to  prepare  himself  for  that  solemn  hour. 
Feeling  that  the  next  life  is  but  a  continuation  of 
this,  only  on  a  higher  stage  of  action,  and  with  every 
feeling  more  fully  developed,  he  realizes,  that  if  he 
cannot  rejoice  in  the  worship  of  God's  earthly  sanc- 
tuary, he  is  not  prepared  to  join  in  the  services  of  the 
Heavenly  Temple — that  temple  above,  not  made  with 
hands. 

But  we  may  carry  this  farther.  He  will  not  only 
be  regular  in  his  attendance  on  the  services  of  the 
Church,  but  will  seek  nothing  beyond  her  ministra- 
tions. This  is  a  duty  which  he  owes  to  the  Church 
herself  It  is  not  a  matter  of  mere  feeling,  but  should 
become  one  of  principle.  If  the  Church  furnish 
sufficient  instruction,  all  that  is  necessary  for  his 
spiritual  welfare — and  none  surely  can  say,  that  she 
does  not — then  he  should  confine  himself  to  her 
services,  and  not  be  unsettling  his  mind  and  dis- 
sipating his  thoughts  by  wandering  elsewhere.  And 
if  he  believe  the  truth  she  inculcates,  and  which  we 
have  been  endeavoring  in  previous  lectures  to  set 
before  you — the  necessity  of  the  Apostolic  succession 
in  the  ministry — then  the  appeal  is  made  to  him  on 
still  higher  grounds,  and  the  Church  has  a  claim  to 

® ® 


® 

THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN.      401 

be  his   authorized  instructor   which  none  other  can 
advance/ 

"But  " — you  may  say  in  rejily — "  I  am  so  well 
settled  in  my  principles,  that  I  cannot  be  injured  by 
any  teaching  I  may  hear,  even  though  it  should  con- 
flict with  the  instructions  of  the  Church."  This 
may  indeed  be  the  case,  although  the  influence  which 

y  Mr.  Wilberforce  is  often  quoted  for  Uheralltij  in  his 
Church  views.  The  following  extracts,  however,  from  his 
Diary,  will  show  that  on  principle  he  abstained  from  at- 
tending Dissenting  meetings.  We  quote  from  Life  of  Wil- 
berforce by  his  Sons.     5  vols.  Lond.  183(1. 

"In  the  same  year  [1786]  Mr.  Wilberforce  dissuaded  a 
relation,  who  complained  that  in  her  place  of  residence  she 
could  find  no  religious  instruction  in  the  Church,  from  at- 
tending at  the  meeting-house.  '  Its  individual  benefts' — 
he  writes  in  answer  to  her  letter  of  inquiry — ^  are  no  com- 
pensation for  the  general  evils  of  Dissent.  The  increase  of 
Dissenters,  tchich  always  folloics  from  the  institution  of  un- 
steepled  places  of  worship,  is  highly  injurious  to  the  interests 
of  religion  in  the  long  run.'  "     Vol  i.  p.  248. 

"  Mr.  Hughes  of  Battersea  dined  with  us — dissenting 
minister.  He  is  a  sensible,  well-informed,  pious  man ; 
strongly  dissenting  in  principle ;  but  moderate  in  manner. 
He  confessed,  not  one  in  twenty  of  Doddridge's  pupils  but 
who  turned  either  Socinian,  or  tending  that  way  ;  (he  himself 
strictly  orthodox  ;)  and  he  said  that  all  the  old  Presbyterian 
places  of  worship  %cere  become  Socinian  congregations."  Vol. 
iii.  p.  24. 

"  L.  off  to  Birmingham  to  hear  [Robert]  Hall  preach 
to-morrow  ;  I  should  have  liked  it,  hut  thought  it  wrong.  In 
attending  public  worship  we  are  not  to  bo  edified  by  talent, 
but  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  therefore  we  ought  to  look  be- 
yond the  iiuman  agent."     Vol.  v    p.  140. 

® ■ ® 


®_^ ® 

402     THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN. 

error  exerts  over  the  mind,  is  often  so  insensible  in 
its  progress,  as  to  be  almost  unmarked  until  it  gains 
the  supremacy.  Yet  may  not  your  example  produce 
an  effect  upon  others,  who  are  not  so  well  established  ? 
Suppose  that  the  Churchman  thinks  there  is  but  little 
harm  in  yielding  to  his  curiosity  to  hear  a  new  voice, 
and  visit  some  other  place  of  worship  ;  may  he  not 
be  giving  a  lesson  of  irregularity  to  numbers  around 
him,  who  believe,  that  if  he  will  do  so,  they  may 
also?  If  he,  who  is  supposed  to  understand  the 
principles  and  regulations  of  his  Church,  may  indulge 
his  taste  for  novelty,  and  wander  about  from  place  to 
place,  his  weaker  brethren  will  conclude  that  they 
may  with  safety  follow  in  his  footsteps.  Thus,  he 
has  the  responsibility  of  countenancing  what  he 
knows  to  be  error,  and  of  spreading  abroad  an  influ- 
ence which  may  keep  others  from  the  means  of 
grace,  or  from  listening,  as  they  should,  to  the  calls 
of  the  Gospel.  His  irregularity  furnishes  them  with 
a  ready  argument  for  their  remissness ;  and  thus, 
when  he  sometimes  wonders  at  seeing  the  seats 
around  him  untenanted,  were  the  truth  fully  known, 
it  would  be  found  he  had  himself  aided  in  producing 
that  result.  Those  who  wish  not  well  to  the  Church 
can  quote  him  in  support  of  their  views,  and  thus  his 
moral  influence  is  enlisted  against  her  cause.  In- 
stead of  quietly  and  silently  aiding  in  training  up 
those  around  him  to  a  constant  and  devout  attendance 
on  her  services,  he  is  showing  them  that  it  is  imma- 
terial where  they  go.  He  certainly  cannot  be  said  to 
® ^® 


® ® 

THE    TraiE,    CATHOLIC    CHURCHMAN.  403 

be  "  steadfast,  unmovable,  always  abounding  in  the 
work  of  the  Lord." 

Again,  another  characteristic  of  the  true  Church- 
man is — that  he  regards  the  Church,  with  her  insti- 
tutions, as  the  grand  instrument  for  reforming  the 
world.  Look  abroad  over  society,  and  see  its  present 
state  of  feeling  with  respect  to  benevolent  enterprises. 
It  is  distinguished  for  outward  activity  and  bustle. 
The  followers  of  our  Master  seem  to  be  ever  engaged 
in  furbishing  up  their  armor,  and  in  preparing  to  take 
part  in  that  great  contest  which  is  waging  against  sin. 
But  we  think  it  will  be  evident  even  to  a  casual  ob- 
server, that  the  lofty  expectations  formed  are  not  real- 
ized—that the  result  is  sadly  disproportioned  to  the 
noise  made  in  the  conflict.  And  the  reason  of  this 
failure  is  equally  evident.  It  is  because  the  strength 
of  the  Christian  world  is  so  much  wasted  in  vision- 
ary schemes,  in  which  a  little  more  wisdom  would 
have  taught  it  never  to  engage.  There  is  a  degree 
of  ill-directed  earnestness  abroad,  which,  while  it 
produces  no  valuable  fruits,  at  the  same  time  pre- 
vents those  exertions  which  might  truly  aid  the 
great  cause  of  man's  redemption.  It  is  "  a  zeal 
of  God,  but  not  according  to  knowledge,"  and 
which  therefore  is  often  running  in  the  wrong 
channel. 

And  even  when  the  object  is  a  good  one,  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  attempt  is  made,  is  often  such  as  to 
defeat  the  desired  end.  The  hurry  and  bustle  which 
mark  every  department  of  life,  have  been  transferred 

® ® 


® ® 

404     THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN. 

also  to  the  efforts  of  benevolence.  If  an  evil  is  to  be 
rectified,  instead  of  having  it  done  by  the  gradual 
progress  of  truth,  the  community  must  at  once  be 
wrought  up  into  a  fever.  The  entire  work  must  be 
immediately  accomplished.  Ingenuity  is  exhausted 
in  devising  new  and  human  means  of  triumphing  over 
sin.  A  mighty  machinery  is  set  in  motion.  Men, 
becoming  wiser  than  Scripture,  and  improving  on  the 
example  of  their  Lord,  forget  "  in  patience  to  possess 
their  souls,"  and  cannot  wail  for  great  principles  to 
be  inculcated,  which  are  afterwards  slowly  yet  surely 
to  develop  their  influence. 

But  mark  the  result.  Behold  it  on  every  side  of 
us.  Thus  earnestly  laboring  without  any  guide  but 
their  own  zeal,  men  begin  to  take  distorted  views  of 
truth.  They  attempt  to  act  upon  the  prejudices  of 
those  around  them  by  questionable  motives  and  argu- 
ments ;  for,  in  their  eagerness  to  attain  the  end,  they 
forget  to  be  scrupulous  about  the  means.  In  this 
way,  no  matter  how  wild  a  scheme  may  be,  or  how 
evil  and  unhallowed  are  the  passions  which  urge  it  on, 
they  resort  to  the  Word  of  God,  that  its  sanction  may 
seem  to  be  given  to  their  excesses.  Thus,  Scripture  is 
constantly  perverted  by  ignorance  and  fanaticism  ;  and 
the  holiest  subjects — themes  of  which  an  Apostle 
could  not  speak  without  the  deepest  reverence — are 
flung  before  the  multitude,  to  be  jeered  and  scoffed 
at — to  be  fiercely  debated  by  unhallowed  lips — until 
every  association  of  sanctity  is  lost,  and  the  sublime 

® ® 


THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN.      405 

mysteries  of  our  faith  are  blasphemed  with  a  reck- 
lessness which  might  make  an  angel  weep/ 

The  limits  of  human  responsibility  also  seem  lately 
to  have  disappeared.  Few  are  contented  to  labor  in  the 
particular  spheres  in  which  Providence  has  placed 
them,  but  the  general  rule  of  conduct  is,  that  every 
one  must  do  every  thing.  Even  woman,  whose  bright- 
est ornament  is  that  of  "  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit," 
must  step  forth  from  the  domestic  circle  which  God  has 
made  the  sphere  of  her  usefulness,  to  seek  for  other 
and  unauthorized  fields  of  labor.  Deserting  the  bed- 
side of  the  sick,  and  the  lowly  habitation  of  the  poor, 
where,  when  she  came  in  her  gentleness  and  meekness, 
she  was  welcomed  as  a  ministering  angel,  and  sacri- 
ficing that  shrinking  delicacy  which  is  her  most  beau- 
tiful attribute,  she  must  lift  up  her  voice  as  the  public 
teacher,  or  else  gird  on  the  armor  of  the  Reformer, 
and  be  seen  in  the  arena  of  strife. 

The  natural  consequence  of  all  this  is,  that  a  spirit 
of  bitterness  is  enjrendered.     The  world  is  not  ofoing 

o  to  to 

to  be  driven,  and  some  who  under  different  meas- 
ures might  have  been  the  advocates  of  these  objects, 
are  forced,  in  stemming  the  current,  to  oppose  them. 
Thus  in  reality  the  great  cause  of  human  well-being 
suffers  by  the  ill-directed  zeal  and  ultraism  of  its 
friends. 

Now  what  is  the  remedy  for  these  manifold  evils  ? 

z  For  instance — the  discussions  on  the  subject  of  tlic  Holy 

Communion,  growing  out  of  the  agitation  of  the  Wine  Q,ues- 

tion  by  tlie  Temperance  Society. 

I 
® ® 


® ■ ® 

406     THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN. 

I  answer  without  hesitation,  it  is  to  return  to  the  prin- 
ciples inculcated  by  our  Lord.  The  same  forms  of 
sin  which  now  prevail,  were  in  the  world  when  He 
was  here,  and  yet  he  only  founded  His  Church  as  the 
corrective  for  all.  Here  is  the  authorized  channel, 
through  which  He  appointed  blessings  to  be  conveyed 
to  fallen  and  apostate  man.  He  endowed  her  with 
power  for  every  situation  in  which  she  should  be 
placed.  He  commissioned  her  to  be  a  perpetual  wit- 
ness for  Him  in  the  earth — ceaselessly  by  her  voice 
to  reprove  sin,  and  sustain  the  cause  of  godliness. 
She  takes  no  partial  view,  but  looks  over  the  whole 
field  of  human  misery,  and  in  a  spirit  of  love  to  the 
sufferer,  yet  with  the  voice  of  authority,  rebukes  the 
demon,  of  whatever  kind  it  may  be,  and  bids  the 
victim  go  free. 

Do  you  wish,  then,  so  to  labor  that  you  may  dis- 
charge your  duty  to  your  God,  to  the  world,  and  to 
the  interests  of  suffering  humanity  1  The  Church 
opens  to  you  unnumbered  paths  by  which  you  may 
attain  this  object ;  while  at  the  same  time  she  so 
guides  you,  that  your  zeal  cannot  but  be  directed 
aright.  For  instance,  are  your  sympathies  excited 
for  the  distant  heathen — for  the  thousands  in  your 
own  land  who  are  perishing  for  lack  of  knowledge — 
or  even  for  the  temporal  suffering  which  is  around  ? 
She  instructs  you  in  what  way  to  relieve  this  wretch- 
edness, or  else  herself  acts  as  the  almoner  of  your 
bounty.  While,  then,  we  are  bound  to  strive  for  the 
diffusion  of  truth  and  purity,  let   us  learn  to  "  strive 

® ■ ® 


® ® 

THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN.      407 

lawfully."  Let  us  look  with  some  little  reverence  to 
the  experience  of  eighteen  centuries  which  have  pre- 
ceded us,  and  not  imagine  that  light  has  now,  in  our 
day,  for  the  first  time  burst  upon  the  earth. 

Once  more,  then,  I  would  say  to  you,  in  the  lan- 
guage of  our  Lord  Himself — "  hear  the  Church."  Be 
as  earnest  and  a.s  active  as  you  can  in  the  cause  of 
human  benevolence — do  all  in  your  power  to  relieve 
a  sinful  and  apostate  world — but  let  the  Church  guide 
you  as  to  the  manner  in  which  your  efforts  are  to  be 
directed.  Live  as  she  bids  you — pray  in  the  spirit 
with  which  she  would  have  you — urge  on  the  holy 
principles  of  the  Gospel  in  the  old  way  which  she 
points  out — and  you  need  not  fear  being  wrong.  An 
excited  world  may  revile  you,  but  the  rule  is — "  judge 
nothing  before  the  time."  When  the  day  of  requital 
comes,  it  will  be  seen,  that  he  acted  not  only  with  the 
truest  wisdom,  but  also  with  the  best  effect,  who  was 
willing  to  be  an  humble  follower  of  that  Church  to 
which  his  Master  committed  the  work  of  human  re- 
form— for  which  He  shed  His  blood — and  which  an 
Apostle  has  called,  "  the  Church  of  the  Living  God, 
the  pillar  and  ground  of  the  truth." 

One  other  characteristic  of  the  true  Churchman 
which  we  would  briefly  mention  is — that  he  loalks 
irorthy  of  his  high  calling.  We  may  not  only  most 
accurately  understand,  but  also  fully  believe  all  that 
our  Lord  has  taught,  and  be  numbered  amono-  the 
members  of  His  Church  ;  yet  if  His  religion  has  not 
performed  its  appropriate  work  upon  our  hearts,  we 

® -— ® 


® ® 

408  THE    TRUE,    CATHOLIC    CHURCHMAN. 

shall  be  "  as  sounding  brass,  or  a  tinkling  cymbal." 
To  receive  these  sublime  truths  into  the  intellect  will 
be  nothing,  unless  they  act  also  as  a  light  to  our  feet, 
to  lead  us  on  in  the  way  of  holiness.  To  be  enrolled 
in  the  Church  on  earth  will  be  worse  than  useless,  if 
we  do  not  imbibe  the  spirit  which  she  inculcates,  and 
thus  suffer  her  to  discipline  us  for  Heaven.  Our 
Master  designs,  that  by  her  constant  services  and  her 
solemn  lessons,  she  should  recall  us  from  this  fleeting 
world,  and  make  us  remember  what  we  are  and 
what  we  may  be.  Here  is  the  standing,  perpetual 
testimony  of  our  God,  to  train  us  up  to  be  the  chil- 
dren of  immortality.  Her  ordinances  must  be  to  us 
effectual  signs  of  grace,  not  mere  forms  and  shadows. 
We  must  be  temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  having  in  our 
faithful  hearts  the  shrine  which  the  Spirit  of  Grace 
may  inhabit.  The  true  Churchman,  who  worthily 
bears  that  holy  name,  will  be  ever  looking  upward  to 
the  Cross  as  his  source  of  safety  and  strength,  and 
onward  to  eternity  as  his  home  and  abiding-place. 
His  religion  must  be  "  one  of  visible  holiness  and  self- 
denial,  that  willingly  takes  on  itself  the  sorrows  which 
to  the  multitude  are  inevitable,  and  lightens  their  suf- 
fering by  its  own  pain  and  privation."  It  must  be  a 
faith,  whose  aims  are  lofty — whose  efforts  are  untiring 
— and  whose  spirit  is  evidently  that  which  our 
Lord  would  inculcate,  when  he  declared — "  Whoso- 
ever will  lose  his  life  for  my  sake,  shall  find  it."  It 
is  such  that  the  Church  needs  for  her  followers.  She 
asks  not  for  those,  who  are  merely  fascinated  by  her 

® ® 


_ (S) 

THE  TKUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN.      409 

outward  beauty,  but  recognize  not  her  sterner  fea- 
tures, and  shrink  from  self-denial  in  her  cause.  She 
wishes  not  those,  who  delight  to  be  with  her  in  the 
hour  of  glory  on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  declar- 
ing, "  It  is  good  for  us  to  be  here,"  but  leave  her 
side  as  soon  as  she  descends  to  the  conflicts  of  this 
lower  world,  or  points  to  the  Cross.  Far  different  is 
the  standard  of  devotedness  to  which  the  true  Church- 
man, through  God's  Holy  Spirit,  must  be  trained.  He 
must  image  forth  in  his  life,  the  beauty  of  the  faith  in 
which  he  trusts.  By  partaking  of  that  solemn  ordi- 
nance, which  is  provided  "  for  his  spiritual  food  and 
sustenance" — by  holy  employments — by  daily  benev- 
olence— by  frequent  prayer — he  is  to  reveal  the  sa- 
credness  of  his  profession,  and  let  the  world  see  that 
he  is  indeed  a  member  of  the  Holy  Catholic  Church. 
I  have  thus  concluded  a  consideration  of  the 
topics,  which  I  wished  to  bring  before  you  in  this 
course  of  Lectures.  For  ten  successive  Sunday  even- 
ings I  have  addressed  you  on  the  distinctive  features 
of  the  Church  ;  and  imperfectly  and  briefly  as  the 
subject  has  been  brought  forward,  I  still  trust  it  will 
not  be  without  its  fruits,  in  causing  you  to  understand 
why  you  are  Churchmen.  At  all  events,  if  only  the 
spirit  of  inquiry  is  excited,  it  is  all  we  ask.  We  court 
investigation,  well  knowing  that  the  principles  on 
which  the  Church  is  based,  can  stand  the  test,  and 
commend  themselves  to  the  reason. 

And  now,  before  I  close,  let  me  ask  you  for  a  mo- 

I    ment  to  look  once  more  over  the   world  around  us. 

I  20 

® © 


(5) ® 

410     THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN. 

See  how  trouble  is  abroad — how  earnest  and  restless 
the  mind  of  man  has  become,  as  with  perfect  reckless- 
ness he  rushes  on  from  one  experiment  to  another. 
The  wisest  are  at  fault,  and  confess  themselves  un- 
able to  interpret  the  signs  of  the  times,  or  to  prophecy 
whereunto  all  this  will  grow.  Even  the  religious  feel- 
ing of  man  is  ever  seeking  some  strange  form  in  which 
to  develop  itself,  and  each  year  gives  birth  to  new 
sects,  and  untried  ways  of  advancing  the  truth..''    The 

a  Bishop  De  Lancey,  in  a  note  to  his  sermon  preached  in 
Bo?ton,  Jan.  1843,  at  the  conseci-atioH  of  the  Bishop  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, makes  the  following  statement : 

*'  As  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  there  are  now  prevalent, 
among  the  leading  denominations  in  the  United  States,  as 
independent  organizations — 

Baptists.  Presbyterians. 

Calvinistic  Baptists,  Old-School  Presbyterians, 

Free-will  Baptists,  New-School  Presbyterians, 
Free-communiotj  Baptists,        Cumberland  Presbyterians, 

Seventh-day  Baptist^,  Associate  Presbyterians, 

Six-principle  Baptists,  Dutch-Reformed      Presbyteri- 

Emancipation  Baptists,  ans, 

Campbellite.  Baptists.  Reformed  Presbyterians. 

Methodists.  Congregationalists. 

Methodist-Episcopal,  Orthodox  Congregationalists, 

Protestant  Methodists,.  Unitarian  Congregationalists, 

Primitive  Methodists,  Transcendental.  Congregation- 

Wesleyan  Methodists,  alists. 

Associate  Methodists.  Universaljst     Congregational- 

ists. 
"No Christian  man  can  contemplate  the  above  statement, 
without  feelings   of  sorrow.     No  Churchman    can   view  it 

® — — — ® 


® (S) 

THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN.      411 

scene  around  us  is  shifting  with  the  rapidity  of  a 
drama.  And  we  know  from  the  history  of  the  past, 
that  so  it  must  be,  and  these  new  creations  which  are 
thus  constantly  starting  into  existence,  must  live  out 
their  brief  day,  and  then  pass  into  nothingness.  They 
contain  within  themselves  no  elements  of  perpetuity. 
Out  of  nearly  one  hundred  sects  which  were  flourish- 
ing in  the  days  of  Charles  I.,  and  whose  names  are 
recorded  on  the  page  of  history,  but  two  or  three  are 
now  in  existence,  and  these  so  altered,  that  they 
could  not  at  present  be  recognized  by  their  own 
founders.  And  thus  it  is,  in  this  ever-changing 
world,  that  the  Ecclesiastical  writer  of  the  next  cen- 
tury will  make  the  record  of  our  day. 

Is  there  then  nothing  fixed  and  stable  ?  Is  there 
no  City  of  Refuge  for  those  who  are  wearied  with  this 
strife  of  tongues  ?     Is  there  no  Holy  Ark  to  which 

without  feelings  of  humble  thankfulness,  that  the  Providence 
of  God  lias  thus  far  preserved  tiie  unity  of  the  Church,  and 
overruled  the  occasional  excitements  and  diversities  of  opin- 
ion in  it,  to  the  prevention  of  any  disruption,  or  rending  of 
the  body  of  Christ.  Among  the  thousand  evils,  which  result 
from  the  endless  subdivisions  of  Christian  men  into  indepen- 
dent organizations,  is  a  miserable  waste  of  ministerial  effi- 
ciency, and  augmented  expensiveness  in  sustaining  religion. 
In  most  of  our  villages,  one  half  the  Church  edifices  and 
one  half  the  clergy  would  supply  ample  accommodation  and 
better  instruction  to  the  people,  at  less  expense  to  them  and 
with  increased  usefulness  to  the  clergy.  Is  there  any  effect- 
ual euro  for  this  waste  of  moans,  energy,  and  talent,  but  a  j 
return  to  the  '  one  body  of  Christ?'  Surely,  Christian  men  ' 
i    should  ponder  this  subject."  i 

® ® 


® (J) 

412  THE    TRUE,    CATHOLIC    CHURCHMAN. 

the  Christian  may  flee  and  be  at  peace,  when  over  the 
broad  earth  he  finds  no  resting  place  for  the  sole  of  his 
feet  1  Yes — it  is  in  the  ancient  Apostolic  Church,  to 
which  we  have  pointed  you.  Unaltered  in  her  doc- 
trine and  ministry  for  eighteen  centuries,  she  passes 
calmly  and  quietly  on  her  way,  unaffected  by  the 
worldly  changes  around  her.  Other  religious  bodies 
endeavor  to  adapt  themselves  to  the  spirit  of  the 
times,  and  thus  are  drawn  into  the  current ;  but  the 
Church  does  not.  She  has  her  own  old  paths,  and 
goes  forward  unfalteringly,  whatever  the  world  may 
doT?  Around  her  are  the  whirlwind  and  the  storm, 
ana  the  multitude,  as  they  are  swept  along  by  every 
wind  of  doctrine,  at  times  look  up  to  her  venerable 
towers  and  deride  a«.<Miftttquctted  her  time-honored 
services.  But  within  her  fold — cut  off  from  all  this 
excitement — her  children  are  quietly  training  up 
against  the  day  of  account,  until  one  by  one  they  pass 
from  her  courts  to  the  Paradise  of  God,  "  meet  to  be 
partakers'  of  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in  light.' 
'  And  thus,  age  after  age,  she  alone  remains  unaltered, 
while  all  else  is  changing.  The  Romanist  falls  off 
on  one  side,""  and  the  Dissenter  on  the  other,  but  she 

b  Palmer  gives  the  following  brief  account  of  tiie  begin- 
ning oftlie  Roman  schism  in  England.  "  The  accession  of 
the  illustrious  Queen  Elizabeth  was  followed  by  the  restora- 
tion of  the  Church  to  its  former  state The  clergy 

generally  approved  of  the  return  to  pure  religion,  and  re- 
tained their  benefices,  administering  the  sacraments  and  rites 
according  to  the  English  Ritual.    In  1562,  the  Synod  orCon- 

® ® 


® ® 

THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN.      413 

simply  bears  her  double  witness  against  them,  and 
goes  on  as  of  ol(L_/ 

Learn  then  to  prize  your  privileges  as  members 
of  this  Church,  and  to  live  up  to  your  high  responsi- 
bilities. The  conflict  which  she  calls  her  cliildren  to 
wage,  is  no  trifling  warfare,  but  "  an  earnest,  endless 
strife."  It  is  in  self-denial,  and  toil,  and  often  in 
suffering,  that  she  bids  them  accomplish  their  work, 
and  thus  form  and  mature  those  elements  of  Christian 
character,  which  in  the  coming  world  can  alone  fit 
them  for  immortality.  Despise  not,  then,  her  instruc- 
tions, for  they  are  the   words  of  holy  wisdom  which 


vocation  of  England  published  a  formulary  of  doctrine, 
divided  into  39  articles,  in  which  the  doctrines  of  the  Catho- 
lic faith  were  briefly  stated,  and  various  errors  and  supersti- 
tions of  the  Romanists  and  others  were  rejected.  This  for- 
mulary was  again  approved  by  the  Convocation  in  1571,  and 
ordered  to  be  subscribed  by  all  the  clergy.  There  was  no 
schism  for  many  years  in  England  :  all  the  people  worshipped 
in  the  same  Churches,  and  acknowledged  the  sarne  pastors.  .  .  . 
At  last,  in  1561',  Pius  V.  issued  a  bull,  in  which  lie  excom- 
municated Queen  Elizabeth  and  her  supporters,  absolved  her 
subjects  from  their  oaths  of  allegiance,  and  bestowed  her  do- 
minions on  the  King  of  Spain.  This  bull  caused  the  schism, 
in  England ;  for  the  popish  party,  wiiich  had  continued  in 
communion  witii  the  Church  of  England  up  to  that  time 
during  the  eleven  past  years  of  Elizabeth's  reign,  now  began 
to  separate  themselves.  Bedingfield,  Cornwallis,  and  Sil- 
yardc,  were  the  first  popish  recusants  ;  and  the  date  of  the 
Romanists  in  England,  as  a  distinct  sect  or  community,  may 
be  fixed  in  the  year  1570."      Church  History,  p.  163. 

® ® 


® — . — _ , ® 

414      THE  TRUE,  CATHOLIC  CHURCHMAN. 

her  Master  hath  taught.  Shrink  not  from  avowing 
your  allegiance,  alike  in  good  report  and  evil  report; 
for  you  must  suffer  with  the  Church  here,  if  you  will 
reign  with  her  in  the  hour  of  her  triumph.  You  may 
be  misunderstood  and  misrepresented.  A  captious 
world  may  ridicule  your  adherence  to  the  old  customs 
of  generations  which  have  long  since  gone,  and  when 
arguments  are  wanting,  bestow  upon  you  an  opprobri- 
ous name.  But  what  of  this?  Remember  the  stir- 
ring words  of  the  Martyr  Ignatius — "  Stand  like  a 
beaten  anvil.  Let  not  those  who  seem  to  be  worthy 
of  confidence,  and  teach  other  doctrine,  put  thee  to 
confusion.  It  is  a  part  of  a  great  Champion  to  be 
stricken  and  conquer.""  How  noble  this  destiny! 
"  To  be  stricken  and  conquer."  To  pass  through 
life  as  if* it  were  a  battle-field — ever  contending  earn- 
estly for  the  truth — and  then,  when  death  comes,  to 
be  able  to  look  back,  and  feel  that  the  great  end  is 
attained — that  the  principles  for  which  you  waged  the 
warfare  are  beginning  to  triumph  !  And  soon  with 
all  of  us  this  conflict  will  be  over.  Soon,  this 
fleeting  life  will  melt  away  into  eternity,  and  the  con- 
test and  the  agonism  passed,  nothing  will  remain  but 
the  victor's  reward.  Then,  the  spirituul  and  the 
heroic,  which  here  were  formed  in  the  breast  by 
suffering  and  toil,  shall  be  developed  in  their  own 
heavenly  shape,  and  brighter  than  the  poet's  dream 
shall  be  the  living  glory  in  which  they  are  arrayed. 


c  Epis.  ad  Polycarp,  §  3. 


•® 


®. 


-® 


THE    TRUE,    CATHOLIC    CHURCHMAN, 


415 


Wait,  therefore,  until  the  end.  Follow  in  the  foot- 
steps of  your  Master  and  His  Apostles,  leaving  con- 
sequences to  Him.  In  the  words  of  one  of  the  living 
poets  of  our  Mother  Church  in  England,  I  would  say 
to  each  one  of  you, 

"  Thy  part  is  simple.     Fearless  still  proclaim 
The  truth  to  men  who  loathe  her  very  name. 
And  if  thy  night  be  dark — if  tempests  roll, 
Dread  as  the  visions  of  thy  boding  soul — 
Still,  in  thy  dimness,  watch,  and  fast,  and  pray; 
And  wait  the  Bridegroom's  call— the  burst  of  opening  day." 

Lyra  Jlpostolica. 


®- 


® 


J.   F.  Trow,  Printer, 
33  .Ann-street. 


BOOKS 

IN    THE    VARIOUS    DEPARTMENTS 

OF 

PUBLISHED  BY 

D.  APPLETON   &   CO.,    NEW-VORK, 

AND 
QBORGE  S.  APPIiETOiV,  PHILADELPHIA. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  REFORMATION 
OF  THE  CHURCH  OF  ENGLAND.  By  Gilbert  Burnet, 
D.D.,  late  Bishop  of  Salisbury.  With  a  Collection  of  Records, 
and  a  copious  Index,  revised  and  corrected,  with  additional 
Notes  and  a  Preface,  by  the  Rev.  E.  Nares,  D.D.  Illustrated 
with  a  Frontispiece  and  twenty-three  Portraits  on  steel.  Form- 
ing four  elegant  8vo.  vols,  of  near  600  pages  each.     $8  00. 

To  the  student  either  of  civil  or  religious  history  no  epoch  can  be  of  more 
importance  than  that  of  the  Reformation  in  England.  It  signalized  the 
overthrow,  in  one  of  its  strongest  holds,  of  the  Roman  power,  and  gave  an 
impulse  to  the  human  mind,  the  full  results  of  which  are  even  now  but 
partly  realized.  Almost  all  freedom  of  inquiry — ^all  toleration  in  matters  of 
religion,  had  its  birth-hour  then  ;  and  without  a  familiar  acquaintance  with 
all  its  principal  events,  but  little  progress  can  be  made  in  understanding 
the  nature  and  ultimate  tendencies  of  the  revolution  then  effected. 

The  History  of  Bishop  Burnet  is  one  of  the  most  celebrated  and  by  far 
the  most  frequently  quoted  of  any  that  has  been  written  of  this  great  event. 
Upon  the  original  publication  of  the  first  volume,  it  was  received  in 
Great  Britain  with  the  loudest  and  most  extravagant  encomiums.  The 
author  received  the  thanks  of  both  Houses  of  Parliament,  and  was  request- 
ed by  them  to  continue  the  work.  In  continuing  it  he  had  the  assistance  of 
the  most  learned  and  eminent  divines  of  his  time  ;  and  he  confesses  his  in- 
debtedness for  important  aid  to  Lloyd,  Tillotson  and  Stillingfleet, 
three  of  the  greatest  of  England's  Bishops.  "  I  know,"  says  he,  in  his  Pre- 
face to  the  second  volume,  "  that  nothing  can  more  effectually  recommend 
this  work,  than  to  say  that  it  passed  with  their  hearty  approbation,  after 
they  had  examined  it  with  that  care  which  their  great  zeal  for  the  cause  con 
cerned  in  it,  and  their  goodness  to  the  author  and  freedom  with  him,  obliged 
them  to  use." 

The  present  edition  of  this  great  work  has  been  edited  with  laborious 
care  by  Ur.  Nares,  who  professes  to  have  corrected  important  errors  into 
which  the  author  fell,  and  to  have  made  such  improvements  in  the  order  of 
the  work  as  will  render  it  far  more  useful  to  the  reader  or  historical  student. 
Preliminary  explanations,  full  and  sufficient  to  the  clear  understanding  of 
the  author,  are  given,  and  margmal  references  are  made  throughout  the 
book,  so  as  greatly  to  facilitate  and  render  accurate  its  consultation.  The 
whole  is  published  in  four  large  octavo  volumes  of  six  hundred  pages  in 
each — printed  upon  heavy  paper  in  large  and  clear  type.  It  contains  por- 
traits of  twenty-four  of  the  most  celebrated  characters  of  the  Reformation, 
and  is  issued  in  a  very  neat  style.  It  will  of  course  find  a  place  in  every 
theologian's  library — and  will,  by  no  means,  we  trust,  be  confined  to  that 
comparatively  limitedspltere. 


2         D.  Appleton  ^  Co.^a  Catalogue  of  Valuable  WorJcs. 

BURNET    ON   THE    XXXIX.   ARTICLES. 

An  Exposition  of  the  Thirty-nine  Articles  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land.  By  Gilbert  Burnet,  D.D.,  late  Bishop  of  Salisbury. 
With  an  Appendix,  containinj^  the  Augsburg  Confession — Creed 
of  Pope  Pius  IV  ;  &c.  Revised  and  corrected,  with  copious 
Notes  and  additional  References,  by  the  Rev-  James  R.  Page, 
A.M.,  of  Queen's  College,  Cambridge.  In  one  handsome  8vo. 
volume.     #a  U(J. 

"  No  L'hurchinau,  no  Tlieologiati,  can  stand  in  nebd  of  information  as  to 
the  cliaracler  or  value  of  Bisliop  Bu/net's  Exposition,  whicli  long  since  took 
Jt.H  filling  place  as  one  of  the  acknowledged  and  admired  standards  of  the 
Church  ills  only  needful  that  we  speak  of  the  labours  of  the  editor  of  the 
present  ediiion,  and  these  appear  to  blend  a  filling  modesty  with  eminent 
industry  and  judgment.  Thus,  vNhile  Mr.  Page  has  carefully  verified,  and 
in  many  inslanres  corrfcled  and  enlarged  the  references  to  the  Fathers, 
Councils  and  other  aullmnlies,  and  greatly  multiplied  the  Scriptiire  citalicmg 
— for  the  Bishop  seems  m  many  cases  to  have  lorgollen  that  his  readers 
would  not  all  be  as  familiar  with  the  Sacred  Text  as  himself,  and  miwht  rtnt 
as  readily  find  a  passage  even  when  they  knew  it  existed — he  (Mr.  P.)  has 
scrupulously  left  the  te.-»l  untouched,  and  added  whatever  illustrative  mat- 
ter he  has  been  able  to  gather  in  the  form  of  Notes  and  an  Appendix. 
The  documenls  collected  in  the  latter  are  of  great  and  abiding  value." 

PEARSON     ON    THE    CREED. 

An    Exposition  of  the  Creed.      By  John  Pearson,    D.D.,  late 
Bishop  of  Chester.     With  an  Appendix,  containing  the  Principal 
Greek  and  Latin  Creeds.     Revised  and  corrected  by  the  Rev. 
W.  S.  Dobson,  M.A.,  Petei'house,  Cambridge.     In  one  handsome 
8vo.  volume.     $2  00. 
The  follounng  may  be  stated  as  the  advantages  of  this  edition  over  all  others. 
First — Great  care  has  been  taken  to  correct  the  numerous  errors  in  the 
references  to  the  lexis  of  Scripture  which  had  crept  m  by  reason  of  the  re- 
peated editions  through  which  this  admirable  work  has  passed  ;   and  many 
references,  as  will  be  seen  on  turnini;  to  the  Index  of  Texts,  have  been  added. 
Secondly — The  Quotations  in  the   Notes   have  been  almost  universally 
identified  and  the  references  to  them  adjoined. 

Lastly— The  principal  Symbola  or  Creeds,  of  which  the  particular  Articles 
have  been  cited  by  ihe  author,  have  been  annexed  ;  and  wherever  the  ori- 
ginal writers  have  given  the  Symbola  in  a  scattered  and  disjointed  manner, 
the  detached  parts  have  been  brought  into  a  successive  and  coimected  point 
of  view.  These  have  been  added  in  chronological  order  in  the  form  of  an 
Appendix  — Vide  Editor. 

JfMagee  on  »^lonemeni  and  Sacrifice. 

Discourses  and  Dissertations  on  the  Scriptural  Doctrines  of  Atone- 
ment and  Sacrifice,  and  on  the  Principal  Arguments  advanced, 
and  the  Mode  of  Reasoning  employed  by  the  Opponents  of 
those  Doctrines,  as  held  by  the  Established  Church.  By  the 
late  most  Rev.  Wm.  M'Gee,  D.D.,  Archbishop  of  Dublin. 
Two  vols,  royal  8vo.  beautifully  printed.     $5  00. 

"  This  is  one  of  the  ablest  critical  and  polemical  works  of  modern  tinws.  Archbishop  Magee  I 
ruly  a  maleus  hereticotum.  He  is  an  extetlent  scholar,  an  acute  reasoner,  and  is  possessed  of  a 
most  extensive  acquaintance  with  the  wide  field  of  argument  to  which  his  volumes  are  devoted — the 
profound  Biblical  information  on  a  variety  of  topics  which  the  Arclibishop  brings  forward,  musl  en* 
dear  bis  name  tu  all  lovers  of  Christianity.'' — Ontte. 


D.  Appleton  cj-  Co.'s  Catalogue  of  Valuable  Works.       3 


PALMER'S 
TREATISE    ON    THE    CHURCH. 

A  Treatise  on  the  Church  of  Christ.  Designed  chiefly  for  tiie 
use  of  Students  in  Theology.  By  the  Rev.  William  Palmer, 
M.A.,  of  Worcester  College,  Oxford.  Edited,  with  Notes,  by 
the  Right  Rev.  W.  R.  Whittingham,  D.D.,  Bishop  of  the  Pro- 
testant Episcopal  Church  in  the  Diocese  of  Maryland.  Two 
vols.  8vo.,  handsomely  printed  on  fine  paper.     ,^5  00. 

"Theireatise  of  Mr.  Halniei  is  the  best  exposition  and  vinJicatmn  of  Church  Principles 
that  we  have  ever  read  :  exceUirig  conteinporaiieiiU!^  treatises  in  depih  of  learning  and  soli- 
dity of  Judgment,  as  inucli  as  it  excels  older  treatises  on  the  like  f-ubjects,  in  adaptation  to 
llie  wants  aud  liabits  of  the  age.  Of  its  inHuence  in  Kngland,  wliere  it  has  passed  through 
two  editions,  we  have  nut  the  means  to  form  an  opinion  ;  but  we  believe  that  m  this  country 
it  has  already. even  before  its  reprint,  dune  mure  to  restore  the  sound  tone  of  Catholic  prin- 
ciples and  leeling  than  any  othrr  one  work  of  the  age.  The  author's  leaniiug  and  powers  of 
Comhinaiioi!  and  arrangement,  great  as  they  ohviuusly  are,  are  less  remarkalile  than  the  sterl- 
ing good  seiioe,  the  vigorous  and  solid  judgment,  which  is  everywhere  manifest  in  the  trea- 
tise,  and  confers  on  it  its  distinctive  excellence.  The  style  of  the  author  is  distinguished  for 
dignity  and  masculine  eiiergi',  while  his  tone  is  everywhere  natural ;  on  proper  occasions, 
reverential ;  and  always,  so  far  as  we  remember,  sufficiently  conciliatory. 

"  To  our  clergy  and  intelligent  laity,  who  desir-  to  see  the  Churcii  justly  discriminated 
from  Kumanist.san  the  one  liand,  and  dis.senting  denominations  on  the  other,  we  earnestly 
coumend  i*aliner'a  Treatiseon  the  Church." — iV.  K  Churchman. 

PAROCHIAL    SERMONS, 

BY    JOHN    HENRY    NEWMAN,    B.D., 

Fellow  of  the  Oriel  College  and  Vicar  of  St.  Mary  the  Virgin's, 

Oxford.     The  six  volumes  of  the  London  edition  complete  in 

two  elegant  8vo.  volumes  of  upwards  of  600  pages  each.  $.5  00. 

ftCf  Mr-  Newman's  Sermons  have  probably  attained  a  higher  character 
than  any  others  ever  pubhslied  in  thi.s  country.  The  following  recom- 
mendatory letter  (is  one  of  the  many)  received  by  the  publishers  dtiring 
their  progress  through  the  press. 

From  the  liis'wp  of  North  Cnrnltna. 

Raleigh,  Nov.  28, 1842. 
Your  letter  announcing  your  intention  to  republish  the  Parochial  Sermons  of  the  Rev.  John 
Henry  Newman,  B.U.,  "Oxford,  has  given  me  sincere  pleasure.  In  complying  with  your 
request  fur  in>  opinion  ofllieiii,!  do  not  hesitate  to  say, — after  a  constant  ti.se  of  them  in  my 
closet,  and  an  observation  of  their  elVect  upon  some  of  my  friends,  for  the  last  six  years,— that 
tbey  aie  among  the  >iery  beat  praciical  sermons  in  the  English  language ,  that  while  they  are 
free  from  those  extravagances  of  opinion  usually  ascribed  to  the  author  of  the  Wth  Tract, 
Ihey  assert  in  the  strongest  manner  the  true  doctrines  of  the  Retormatior.  in  Kngland,  and  en 
force  witn  peculiar  solemnity  and  eftect  that  holiness  of  life,  with  the  means  thereto,  so  char- 
acteristic  ofthe  Fathers  of  that  trying  age.  With  high  respect  and  esteem,  your  friend  and 
servaat,  L.S.IVES. 

HARE'S    PAROCHIAL    SERMONS. 

Sermons  to  a  Country  Congregation.  By  Augustus  William 
Hare,  A.M.,  late  Fellow  of  New  College,  and  Rector  of  .Alton 
Barnes.     One  volume,  royal  8vo.     $2  25. 

*'  Any  one  who  can  be  pleased  with  delicacy  of  thought  expressed  in  the  most  simple  Ian 
guage— any  one  who  can  feel  the  charm  of  tiiidiiig  practical  duties  elucidated  and  enforced 
by  apt  and  varied  illustj-ations--witl  be  delighted  with  this  volume,  which  presents  us  with  the 
workings  of  a  pioui  and  highly  gifted  mind." — Quar.  RevUw. 


4        D.  Appleton  ^  Co.^s  Catalogue  of  Valuable  Works- 

THE    KINGDOM    OF    CHRIST; 

Or,  Hints  respecting  the  Principles,  Constitution,  and  Ordinances 
of  the  Catliolic  Church.  By  Frederick  Demson  Maurice, 
M.A.  Chaplain  of  Guy's  Hospital,  Professor  of  EngUsh  Litera- 
ture and  History,  King's  College,  London.  In  one  elegant  oc- 
tavo volume  of  600  pages,  uniform  in  style  with  Newman's 
Sermons,  Palmer  on  the  Church,  &c.     $2  50. 

"  Mr.  Maurice*8  work  le  eminently  fitted  tu  engage  the  attention  and  meet  the  want?  of  all 
interested  in  the  several  movements  that  are  now  taking  place  i..  the  rehgione  community  :  it 
takeb  up  the  pretentions  generally  of  the  several  Protestant  denuminatioiid  and  of  the  Ko- 
manists,  so  as  to  commend  itself  in  the  growing  interest  in  the  controversy  helween  the  lat- 
ter and  their  opponents.  The  political  portion  of  the  work  contains  much  tiMt  is  attractive 
to  a  thoughtful  man,  of  any  or  of  no  religious  periuasion,  in  reference  to  the  existing  and  pes 
Bible  future  state  of  our  country." 

A    MANUAL    FOR    COMMUNICANTS; 

Or  the  Order  for  Administering  the  Holy  Communion;  conveniently  ar- 
ranged with  Meditations  and  Prayers  from  Old  English  Divines,  being 
the  Eucharistica  of  Samuel  Wiiberforce,  M.A.,  Archdeacon  of  Surry, 
(adapted  to  the  American  service.)  Convenient  size  for  the  pocket 
37i  cents— gilt  edges  50  cents. 

•*  These  meditations,  prayers,  and  expositiona,  are  given  in  the  very  words  of  the  illustri- 
ous divines,  martyrs,  confessors,  and  doctors  of  the  Church;  and  they  form  altogether 
8uch  a  body  of  instructive  matter  as  iu  nowhere  else  to  be  found  in  tlie  same  com- 
pass. Though  collected  from  various  auUiors,  the  whole  is  pervaded  by  a  unity  of  spirit  and 
purpose;  and  we  most  earnebily  commend  the  work  as  belter  htted  than  any  other  which 
we  know,  to  subserve  the  ends  of  sound  editication  and  fervent  and  substantial  devotion. 
The  Aiuerican  reprint  has  been  edited  by  a  deacon  of  great  promise  in  the  Church,  and  ia  ap- 
propriately dedicated  to  the  fiidhop  of  this  diocese."— Churchman. 

OGILBY  ON    LAY-BAPTISM: 

An  Outline  on  the  Argument  against  the  Validity  of  Lay-Baptism.  By  the 
Rev.  John  D.  Ogilby,  A.M.,  Professor  of  Ecclesiastical  History.  One 
volume  12mo.,  75  cents. 

"  We  have  been  favoured  with  a  copy  of  the  above  work,  and  lose  no  time  in  annouccins 
its  publicaUon.  From  a  cursory  inspection  of  it,  we  take  it  to  be  a  thorough,  I'tarless,  and 
Tery  able  discussion  of  the  subject  which  it  (.roposes,  aiming  less  to  excite  inquiry,  than  to 
satisfy,  by  learned  and  ingenious  argument,  inquiries  already  excited.'' — Churchman. 

THE    PRIMITIVE     DOCTRINE    OF 
E  LECT ION: 

Or,  an  Historical  Inquiry  into  the  Ideality  and  Causation  of  Scriptural 
Election,  as  received  and  maintained  in  the  Primitive  Church  oi  Christ. 
By  George  Stanley  Faber,  B.D.,  author  of  "  Difficulties  of  Romanism," 
"  Difficulties  of  Infidelity,"  <fcc.  Complete  in  one  volume  octavo.  $1  75. 
"  Mr.  Faber  verifies  his  opinion  by  demonstration.      We  cannot  pay  a  higher  respect  to  his 

wort  than  by  recommending  it  to  aH."— Church  of  England  Quarterly  Htvitui. 


D.  Appleton  ^  Co.'s  Catalogue  of  Valuable  Works.        5 

CHURCHMAN'S  LIBRARY. 

The  volumes  of  this  series  pre  of  a  sfandarJ  chanicter  and   highly  recom- 
mended by  the  Bishops  and  Clergy  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

THE    PRACTICAL    CHRISTIAN; 

Or,  Devout  Penitent.  By  R.  Sherlooke,  D.D.,  with  a  Life  of  the  Author,  by 
the  Riglit  Rev.  Bishop  Wilson.     One  elegant  volume.      16mo.    75  cents. 

THE  CIIURCIiniAN'S  COMPANION  IN  THE  CLOSET ; 

Or,  a  Complete  Manual  of  Private  Devotions.  Collected  from  the  writings  of 
Archbishop  Laud,  Bishop  Andrewes,  Bishop  Ken,  Dr.  Hickes,  Mr.  Kettle- 
well,  Mr.  Spinckes,  and  other  eminent  old  English  Divines.  With  a  Pre- 
face by  Rsv.  Mr.  Spiuckes.  Edited  by  Francis  E.Paget,  M.  A.  One  ele- 
gant volume,  16rao.     $1  00. 

OF    THE    IMITATION    OF    CHRIST. 

Four  books,  by  Thomas  a   Kempis,  a  new   and  complete  edition,  elegantly 
printed.     1  vol.  16ino.     $1  00. 

THE     EARLY    ENGLISH     CHURCH; 

Or,  Christian  History  of  England  in  early  British,  Saxon,  and  Norman  Times. 
By  the  Rev.  Edward  Churton,  M.A.  With  a  Preface  by  the  Right  Rev. 
Bishop  Ives.     1  vol.  16mo.,  elegantly  ornamented.     $1  00 

LEARN   TO   DIE. 

Discs  Mori,  Learn  to  Die  :  a  Religious  Discourse,  moving  every  Christian 
man  to  enter  into  a  serious  Remembrance  of  his  End.  By  Christopher  Sut 
ton,  D.D.,  late  Prebend  of  Westminster.  1  vol.  16mo.,  elegantly  orna- 
mented.    $1  00. 

SACRA    PRIVATA: 

The  Private  Meditations,  Devotions,  and  Prayers  of  the  Right  Rev.  T.  Wil- 
son, D.D.,  Lord  Bishop  of  Soder  and  Man.  First  complete  edition.  1  vol. 
royal  16mo.,  elegantly  ornamented.     $1  00. 

MEDITATIONS   ON   TH  E  SACRAM  ENT. 

Godly  Meditations  upon  the  most  Holy  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  By 
Christopher  Sutton,  D.D.,  late  Prebend  of  Westminster.  1  vol.  royal  16mo., 
elegantly  ornamented.     $1   00. 

A    DISCOURSE    CONCERNING    PRAYER 

And  the  frequenting  Dally  Public  Prayer.  By  Symon  Patrick,  D.D.,  sometime 
Lord  Bishop  of  Ely.  Edited  by  Francis  E.  Paget,  M.A.,  Chaplain  to  the 
Lord  Bishop  of  Oxford.     1  vol.  royal  16mo.,  elegantly  ornamented.  75  cents 

THOUGHTS    IN    PAST    YEARS. 

A  beautiful  collection  of  Poetry,  chiefly  Devotional.     By  the  author  of  "  The 
Cathedral."     1  vol.  royal  16nio.,  elegantly  printed.     $1  25. 


THE    CHRISTMAS    BELLS 

Holy    Tiile,  and  other   Poems.     By    the   author    of  ' 
ua."  &c.     I  vol.  royal  16mo.,  elegantly  ornaniente4. 

*,*  These  volumes  will  be  followed  by  others  of  equal  importance. 


A  Tale  of  Holy   Tiile,  and  other  Poems.     By   the  author   of '' Constance," 
"  Virgmia."  &c.     I  vol.  royal  16mo.,  elegantly  ornaniente4.     75  cents. 


D.  Appleton  ^  Co.^s  Catalogue  of  Valuable  Works. 

Cabinet  Edition  of  the  Poets. 


COWPER'S   COMPLETE    POETICAL 
WORKS. 

The  complete  Poetical  Works  of  William  Cowper,  Esq.,  including 
the  Hymns  and  Translations  from  Mad.  Guion,  Milton,  &c.,  and 
Adam,  a  Sacred  Drama,  from  the  Italian  of  Battista  Andreini, 
with  a  Memoir  of  the  Author,  by  the  Rev.  Henry  Stebbing,  A.M. 
Two  elegantly  printed  volumes,  400  pages  each,  16mo.,  with 
beautiful  frontispieces.     $1  75. 

Thts  IS  the  only  complete  American  edition. 
Morality  never  found  in  genius  a  more  devoted  advocate  than  Cowper,  nor 
has  moral  wisdom,  in  its  plain  and  severe  precepts,  been  ever  more  success- 
fully combined  with  the  delicate  spirit  of  poetry,  than  in  his  works.  He 
was  endowed  with  all  the  powers  which  a  poet  could  want  who  was  to  be  the 
moralist  of  the  world — the  reprover,  but  not  the  satirist,  of  men — the  teacher 
of  simple  truths,  which  were  to  be  rendered  gracious  without  endangering 
their  simplicity. 

BURNS'   COMPLETE  POETICAL 
WORKS. 

The  complete  Poetical  Works  of  Robert  Burns,  with  Explanatory 
and  Glossarial  Notes,  and  a  Life  of  the  Author,  by  James  Cur- 
rie,  M.D.     1  vol.  16mo.    $1  25. 

This  is  the  most  complete  edition  which  has  been  published,  and  contains 
the  whole  of  the  poetry  comprised  in  the  edition  lately  edited  by  Cunningham, 
as  well  as  some  additional  pieces  ;  and  such  notes  have  been  added  as  are  cal- 
culated to  illustrate  the  manners  and  customs  of  Scotland,  so  as  to  render  the 
vhole  more  intelligible  to  the  English  reader. 

"  No  poet,  with  the  exception  of  Shakspeare,  ever  possessed  the  power  ot 
exciting  the  most  varied  and  discordant  emotions  with  such  rapid  transitions." 
—Sir  W.  Scott. 

MILTON'S    COMPLETE    POETICAL 
WORKS. 

The  complete  Poetical  Works  of  John  Milton,  with  Explanatory 
Notes  and  a  Life  of  the  Author,  by  the  Rev.  Henry  Stebbing, 
A.M.     Beautifully  illustrated.     1  vol.  16mo.     $125. 

7!^e  Latin  and  Italian  Poems  are  included  in  this  edition. 
Mr.  Stebbing's  notes  will  be  found  very  useful  in  elucidating  the  learned 
allusions  with  which  the  text  abounds,  and  they  are  also  valuable  for  the 
correct  appreciation  with  which  the  writer  directs  attention  to  the  beau- 
ties of  the  author. 

SCOTT'S   POETICAL   WORKS. 

The  Poetical  Works  of  Sir  Walter  Scott,  Bart. — Containing  Lay 
of  the  Last  Minstrel,  Marmion,  Lady  of  the  Lake,  Don  Rode- 
rick, Rokeby,  Ballads,  Lyrics,  and  Songs,  with  a  Life  of  the 
Author.   Uniform  with  Cowper,  Bums,  &,c.    1  vol.  16mo  $1  25. 

"  Waker  Scott  is  the  most  popular  of  all  the  poets  of  the  present  day,  and  de- 
eervedly  so.  He  describes  that  which  is  most  easily  and  generally  understood 
with  more  vivacity  and  effect  than  any  other  writer.  His  style  is  clear,  flowing 
and  transparent ;  his  sentiments,  of  which  his  style  is  an  easy  and  natural  mo 
dium,  are  common  to  him  with  his  readers." — Haxlitt. 


10        D.  Appleton  ^  Cc's  Catalogue  of  Valuable  Works, 

GENERAL  HISTORY   OF  CIVILIZATION 

n  Europe,  from  the  fall  of  tlie  Roman  Empire,  to  tlie  French  Revolution 
Ry  M.  (iuizot,  Professor  of  History  to  tlie  Faculty  des  Lettres  of  Paris 
I'rinted  from  the  second  English  edition,  with  Occasional  Notes,  by  C.  S. 
Henry,  D.D.,  of  New  York.     One  handsome  volume,  I'iino.     $1  00. 
The  third  edition  of  this  valuable  work  has  just  appeared,  with  numer- 
ous and  useful  notes,  by  Prolessor  Henry,  of  the  University  of  New-York. 
M.  Guizot,  in  his  instructive  lectures  has  given  an  epitome  of  Modern  His- 
tory, distinguished  by  all  the  merits  which  in  another  department,  renders 
ElacUstone  a  subject  of  such  peculiar  and  unbounded  praise  ;  a  work  close- 
ly conden>ed,  including  no.hing  useless  and  omitting  nothing  essential: 
written  with  grace,  and  conceived  and  arranged  with  consummate  ability. 

THE   NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  SOCIETY 

IN  THE  BARBAROUS  AND  CIVILIZED  STATE. 
An  Essay  towards  Discovering  the  Origin  and  Course  of  Human  Improve- 
ment.    By  W.  Cooke  Taylor,  LL.D.,  &c.,  of  Trinity  College,  Dublin. 
Handsomely  printed  on  fine  paper.    2  vols.  12mo     $2  25. 
"The  design  of  this  work  is  to  determine,  from  an  examination  of  the 
various  forms  in  which  society  has  been  found,  what  was  the  origin  of 
civilization  ;  and  under  what  circumstances  those  attributes  of  humanity 
which  in  one  country  become  the  foundation  of  social  happiness,  are  in  an- 
other perverted  to  the  production  of  general  misery.' 

CARLYLE   ON    HISTORY  &  HEROES. 

On  Heroes,  Hero-Worship,  and  the  Heroic  in  History.  Six  Lectures,  re- 
ported with  Emendations  and  Additions,  by  Thomas  Carlyle,  author  of 
the  French  Revolution,  Sartor  Resartus,  <tc.  Elegantly  printed  in  1 
vol.  12rno.    Second  edition.    $1  00. 

"  And  here  we  must  close  a  work — such  as  we  have  seldom  seen  the 
like  of,  and  one  which  redeems  the  literature  of  our  superficial  and  manu- 
facturing period.  It  is  one  to  purify  our  nature,  expand  our  ideas,  and  ex- 
alt our  souls.  Let  no  library  or  book-room  be  without  it ;  the  more  it  is 
studied  the  more  it  will  be  esteemed." — Literary  Gazette. 

SOUTHEY'S    POETICAL   WORKS. 

The  Complete  Poetical  Works  of  Robert  Southey,  Esq.,  LL.D.  The  ten 
volume  London  edition  in  one  elegant  royal  8vo.  volume,  with  a  fine  por- 
trait and  vignette,    $3  50. 

*.*  This  edition,  which  the  author  has  arranged  and  revised  with  the 
same  care  as  if  it  were  intended  for  posthumous  publication,  includes  many 
pieces  which  either  have  never  before  been  collected,  or  have  hitherto  re- 
mained unpublished. 

SCHLEGEL'S    PHILOSOPHY   OF 
HISTORY. 

The  Philosophy  of  Histor)',  in  a  course  of  Lectures  delivered  at  Vienna,  by 
Frederick  von  Schlegel,  translated  from  the  German,  with  a  Memoir  of 
the  Author,  by  J.  B  Robertson.  Handsomely  printed  on  fine  paper.  2 
vols.  12mo.    $2  50. 

THE  LIFEOF  ALEXANDER  HAMILTON. 

Edited  by  his  son,  John  C.  Hamilton.    2  vols.  8vo.     $5  00. 
"  We  cordially  recommend  the  perusal  and  diligent  study  of  these  vol- 
uihes,  tvhibiting,  as  they  do,  much  valuable  matter  relative  to  the  Revo- 
lution, the  i-slaWishment  of  the  Federal  Constitution,  and  other  important 
events  in  the  diinals  of  o'lr  country."— iVeu-yorA  Review. 


16 
APPLETON'S 

TALES  FOR  THE  PEOPLE 

AND    THEIR    CHILDRENl. 


The  greatest  care  has  been  taken  in  selecting-  the  works  of  which 
the  collection  is  composed,  so  that  nothing  either  mediocre  in 
talent,  or  innnoral  in  tendency,  is  admitted.  Each  volume  is 
printed  on  the  finest  paper,  is  illustrated  with  an  elegant 
frontispiece,  and  is  bound  in  a  superior  manner,  tastefully  orna- 
mented. 

The  following  are  comprised  in  the  series,  tmiform  in  size  and  style  : — 
THE  POPLAR  G-ROVE  ;  or,  Little  Harry  and  his  Uncle  Benjamin. 

By  Mrs.  (;uplev-    STj  cents. 
EARLY  FRIEiMDSHIPS.     By  Mrs.  Copley.    37J  cents. 
THE  CROFTON  BOYS.     By  Harriet  Martineau.    37J  cents. 
THE  PEASANT  AND  THE  PRINCE.     By  Harriet  Martineau.  37^  cts. 
NORWAY  AND  THE  NORWEGIANS ;  or,  Feats  on  the  Fiord.    By 

Harriet  Martineau.      37*  cents. 
MASTBRMAN  READY  ;  or,  the  Wreck  of  the  Pacific.      Written  for 

Young  People.     By  Captain  Mairyatt.     Three  volumes  ;    ea:ch  37i  cents. 
THE   LOOKING-GLASS  FOR   THE  MIND;    or,  Intellectual  Mirror. 

Aneleaaiit  collection  of  Delightful  Stories  and  Tales  :  many  plates  50  cts 
HOPE  ON,  HOPE  EVER ;  or  the  Boyhood  of  Felix  Law.      By  Mary 

Howitt      37i-  cents 
STRIVE  AND  THRIVE  ;  a  Tale.    By  Mary  Howitt.    37^  cents. 
SOWING  AND  REAPING;    or,    What  will  Come   of   It?    By  Mary 

Howitt.     37i  cents. 
WHO  SHALL  BE  GREATEST?    a  Tale.     By  Mary  Howitt.     37i  cts. 
WHICH  IS  THE  WISER  ?  or,  People  Abroad.  Bv  Mary  Howitt.  37}  cts. 
LITTLE  COIN  MUCH  CARE  ;  or,  How  Poor  People  Live.    By  Mary 

Howitt.     37j  cents. 
WORK  AND  WAGES  ;  or.  Life  in  Service.     By  Mary  Howitt.    37^  cts 
ALICE  FRANKLIN      By  Mary  Howitt. 
NO  SENSE  LIKE  COMMON  SENSE,     By  Mary  Howitt. 
THE  DANGERS  OF  DINING  OUT  ;  or.  Hints  to  those  who  would 

make  Home  Happy.     To  which  is  added  the  Confessions  of  a  Maniac. 

By  Mre  Ellis,     37i  cents. 
SOMERVILLE  HALL ;  or.  Hints  to  those  who  would  make  Home 

Happy.  To  which  is  added  the  Rising  Tide.  By  Mrs.  Ellis.  37?  cents. 
FIRST  IMPRESSIONS  ;  or,  Hints  to  those  who  would  make  Home 

Happy.     By  Mrs.  Ellis.     37?  cents. 
MINISTER'S  FAMILY ;  or.  Hints  to  those  wtio  would  make  Home 

Happy.     Bv  Mrs,  Ellis.    37i  cents. 
THE  TWIN  SISTERS;  a  Tale.    By  Mrs.  Sandham.    37J  cents. 
TIRED  OF  HOUSE-KEEPING;   a  Tale.     By  T  S.  Arthur.     37J  cents. 

"  Messrs.  Appleton  &  Co  deserve  the  highest  praise  for  the  excellent 
manner  in  wlilch  lliey  have  '  got  up'  tlicir  juvenile  library,  and  we  sincere- 
ly hope  that  its  success  will  be  so  great  as  to  induce  them  to  make  con- 
tinual contributions  to  its  treasures.  The  collection  is  one  whirli  should 
be  owned  by  every  parent  who  wishes  that  the  moral  and  intellectual  im- 
provement of  his  children  should  keep  pace  with  their  growth  in  years,  and 
the  development  of  tlieir  physical  powers." — Boston  Times. 


at.,*-^    *«/-• 


^     ^tf  «^ 


>^^^^_,  /^^/i-^z-t^ 


THE  T.TPRARY 


UC  SOUTHS 


-RY  FACILITY 


AA    000  979  539    4 


111 


